A New Approach To A New Year
“New Year New Me!”
Full disclosure: I hate that phrase.
I’m not a New Years downer by any means. I actually love the idea of a “fresh start” or at the very least a “fresh calendar.”
But I am something of a realist. And real statistics tell us that 92% of New Years Resolutions fail. (“Finish” by Jon Acuff)
Why does this happen?!
There’s so much anticipation and build up to roll into a new year!
We throw massive parties and crowd the busiest of cities (in the middle of a pandemic) to bring in January 1st.
Most of our goals fail because there’s not a clear process in which we were set up to succeed.
Any of us can write what we want to do on a board. Few of us (looks like less than 8%) put a plan in place to make it happen.
I’m one of them! It’s taken me months and months to put finishing touches on a book I’m writing. I’ve struggled with it and at times, my process has been clean and clear. And at times, let’s just say the water has been muddy.
Anticipation needs direction.
Have you ever seen someone or something with so much energy but nowhere to go?
For years, I’ve picked up my own toddlers running at full speed into something they shouldn’t be.
As I pick them up, their feet never stop moving. They’re kicking air. It’s really quite astonishing.
We turn them around, set them down, and it’s as if they never were picked up - full sprint in whichever direction they are facing.
Toddler energy is beyond my comprehension.
Goals are good.
Processes are great.
I want to give you a simple but profound process.
However, I am not an expert on goals. And the goals I want to give you a process for, while applicable in a variety of ways, is not for losing weight or gaining muscle in the new year.
What I want to do, what I am qualified to do, is to help you with internal goals that will drive your external goals.
External goals are often about our competency and efficiency to get something done. It works (less than 8% of the time).
The direction I would encourage you to take this new year is one with your character in mind.
We all have a tendency to let our competency outpace our character.
In fact, we’re pretty good about leaving our character behind completely.
Then what happens? When we fall short of our goals (92% of the time), the external can and often times does negatively affect our internal.
Tangible, achievable goals are necessary - so let’s set them and reach them….
…Character building and goals should keep pace - that’s my pitch.
That’s the pitch - here’s the process:
If this new year were a book and you were a character in it… what would you want the back of the book to say about YOU?
Start here.
Choose a 3-5 key words that you would like your character to be defined as.
Step here.
Ask yourself the question, what am I doing today to help me become more like that?
You now have a simple, yet profound process for this new year - It’s a daily evaluation.
Early morning, late evening, bathroom breaks - who cares when… apply it as you’re able!
As we start the new year, watch for part 2 of this post…
We’ll discover how to measure progress in your process.
For now, we have two important things:
Defining words.
: to show or describe (someone or something) clearly and completely (Webster’s)
2. Defining Questions.
: to show the shape, outline, or edge of (something) very clearly
Let’s make this next year count!
*insert/substitute any cheesy New Years’ cliche*