As a life coach, facilitator, author and observer of life, I have noticed that there are generally two polar opposite camps when it comes to New Year’s Resolutions. There are those that make New Year’s resolutions and those that don’t.
My observations of the two camps are:
In the camp that creates and makes New Year’s Resolutions, there is a portion of the group that makes resolutions in the spur of the moment (with an in-the-moment, heartfelt desire to keep them) but they have not a speck of discipline in their genetic makeup to actually be able to stick with their resolutions. These folks have not integrated and/or they do not understand the concept of ‘your word is your law/ your bond’. They do not understand the effect that breaking your word to yourself has on your confidence and self-worth.
Here are a couple of stereotypical examples of “I’ll get into shape” resolution-makers:
The people who wake up on January 1st, roll over, look at the clock, groan loudly, and then pull the covers back over their head and go back to sleep.
There are also those that have great intentions and a moderate amount of discipline and determination behind their resolutions. These are the people who wake up on January 1st, hit the gym with their bag of clothes packed the previous night and with their water bottle in hand. These intrepid souls last from a couple of weeks to three to four months.
Before I continue with the resolution makers, I will comment. There is a large part of the population that makes no resolutions and has no long-term written goals. This group (stereotypically) is not part of the high achievers, the so-called 1%. Generally, they are not the Tony Robbins, Richard Branson’s, Oprah Winfreys, or the Gary Vees of the world.
This group may live a very comfortable life, yet they are not living their life to their fullest capacity.
Resolution makers are a small but hardy group, and in my observation, they can be broken into two groups:
- Ones that make Resolutions once a year.
- Ones that make resolutions and tie them to goals/milestones.
The latter group is where the highly accountable, motivated, and dreamers are situated. This is the group where 1% of the world’s elite reside.
Now comes my truth. I am not a big New Year’s Resolutions person, but I am a huge proponent of yearly goal setting. I personally take time to quietly reflect on the previous year and decide on a word or intention for the upcoming year that aligns with my goals.
On New Year’s Eve day I drove in silence from Kamloops to Calgary – a 9-hour drive – to ponder the year 2022.
My word for this year is Potential.
po·ten·tial/pəˈten(t)SHəl/
adjective
- having or showing the capacity to become or develop into something in the future. “a two-pronged campaign to woo potential customers”
noun
- latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness. “a young broadcaster with great potential”
- PHYSICS – the quantity determining the energy of mass in a gravitational field or of charge in an electric field. “a change in gravitational potential”
What I have observed is that those who set yearly goals and take time to plan and strategize their upcoming year are far more successful than those that don’t take the time to plan and prioritize their life. Therefore, I set my goals and intentions early on in the new year.
The other piece of my ‘yearly planning’ strategy that I love to do (because it supports my creative side) is to create a vision board. Besides offering me a creative outlet, creating a vision board also helps me visualize the upcoming year. Being a very visual learner, seeing images of my goals, dreams. and plans is huge for me!
If you have ever created a vision board I invite you to pull it out and take a peek at it. See what you have accomplished. Re-experience the dreams and desires that inspired you to create the vision board in the first place.
If you haven’t created a vision board for 2022, I would like to invite you to create an online version of a vision board here to step into taking action toward creating the year you’d love to live!
Note: This will take you to our shopping cart site – Best U Can B
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