RESOLUTION
Recently a business leader told me that he’d run across his list of New Year’s resolutions and realized that he had only tackled 1 out of the 3. He was disappointed in what he believed was his lack of resolve and commitment to making important & positive changes in his life. In just a few days we will have made it half way through 2012. On July 1st we will kick off the second half of the year – do you know where your list of resolutions is?
Further conversation with this leader revealed how their business had experienced an unexpected shift in supply of raw materials for making their product, forcing changes to the game plan in nearly every business unit. On a personal note, he shared that his daughter was struggling with an illness, and he had made it a priority to spend time with her & support his wife who was a full-time caregiver. Both situations had altered his ability to address 2 of his resolutions, leaving him feeling frustrated & overwhelmed.
He was surprised when I congratulated him. “Given what you just told me, I am proud of you for achieving that one resolution.” Our discussion led to the revelation that while accountability is very important, it is equally necessary to continually reassess what we commit to, and measure against our core values & long-term goals, reprioritizing where it’s warranted.
REVELATION
Accountability without regard to circumstance is irrelevant. The fundamental resolution needs to be the commitment to growth, integrity and responsibilities. Life is not a snap shot, rather it is a motion picture. The scene & characters are ever changing, and our goals have to evolve too.
“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching it.”
REVOLUTION
Even though almost 50% of people who make new years resolutions do break them in the first 6 months, research shows that making resolutions is useful. People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t.
- Pull out your list and take a look.
- Make an honest assessment of your progress on each goal. If you haven’t reached it (or even started) ask yourself:
– Is this goal still relevant / a priority / necessary?
– If the goal still stands, where are you as far as progress? If you’ve slacked a bit, then recommit & choose a realistic 30-day benchmark to strive for.
– Not started yet? Don’t waste energy beating yourself up – just get started & determine a 30-day goal to work toward.
– If circumstances have changed the need or relevancy of the goal, then reprioritize or remove it from the list & replace it with a new one if needed.
3. Keep the new list visible – not buried in a notebook or under a pile of paper
4. Schedule an appointment with yourself for 30 days from today, to review your progress – and keep it!
