There seems to be a buzz around social media of poo-pooing New Year’s resolutions. They don’t work. You’re setting yourself up for failure.
When I was chatting with a friend I was almost apologizing. “Yes, I’m one of those who make New Year’s Resolutions.”
I love a new year because it’s a time to assess last year and readjust for this year. When I looked back over 2018, I hit some and didn’t hit others.
- Exercising 3 times a week –Goal Accomplished.
- Read 25 books –Goal Accomplished
- Summit 100 freelance articles –I submitted 7.
- Publish a 30-day devotional ebook–New goal is February 28.
- 12 Speeches in Toastmasters–I gave 11 speeches.
- Write a novel–I got halfway through.
- Blog weekly–26 blog posts.
This doesn’t mean I quit making New Year’s resolutions. I’m okay with not hitting all my goals. If I hadn’t set goals, it would be difficult to assess progress and course correct. I learn from my mistakes, celebrate my wins and prepare for a new year.
In the in the process, I figured out who I am and what I love to do. I may go back to writing my novel at some point, but I realized my passion is for non-fiction. I didn’t give a speech in Toastmasters in December because I needed to be present with my family more than I needed to check the box. The experience in Toastmasters was amazing. Regardless of how many speeches I gave, I learned confidence and skills that will serve me well.
I also realized I set too many goals. There just weren’t enough hours in the day to freelance, write a book, blog consistently and write and deliver speeches. This year I’m taking a
The last thing I learned from assessing my year is there was a disconnect between what I wanted to accomplish and what I needed to do each day to make it happen. Each month I wrote my goal on my planner. The end of the week came, the article or post was unwritten. With new determination, I wrote it
To make dreams reality you have to know what you need to do each day to get there.
I broke down six goals for 2019 into daily steps. So far the charts have helped keep me on target, and I’m excited for a new year!
What about you? In 365 days, when you look back over 2019 what one thing can you do today to begin to make your dreams reality?
I appreciated this post, as the month of January was quickly slipping away and I had not set any goals for 2019. I too seemed to always set way too many goals, and I realized I was just being unrealistic and setting myself up for failure.
Therefore, as of today I now have my 2019 goals set. I tried to be realistic and decided upon six goals this year.