Start YOUR New Year off Right
I have to admit: I’m not big on sweeping New Year’s resolutions. On January 1st I historically make promises to feed my soul (dance, go to live music shows, and see art installations) rather than make resolutions of improvement or restriction. That being said, my birthday is in January and that’s when I set some goals for MY new year. Starting the new year on my birthday is a moment in time that feels more personal and thus more actionable to me. It’s the time that I reflect, set some goals and identify aspirations for the year to come.
Whether your new year starts on January 1st or another day in the year, it’s important to set yourself up for successful resolutions. Resolutions are about creating new habits and new habits can be hard to adopt on your own without planning and commitment. It is helpful to have some guidance when making change, so here are a few helpful guides for setting yourself up for success. Take a look at these options and see which helps you start YOUR new year off on the right foot.
2019 Action Plan.
I’m on the Tony Robbins’ email list and recently received a link to a worksheet that they use called “Goal Mapping.” In this document Robbins writes that in order to make change you must make an action plan. “If you talk about it, it’s a dream, if you envision it, it’s possible, but if you schedule it, it’s real.” says Robbins. Words to live by.
In his “Goals Mapping 2019” guide there are 3 sections: Personal Growth & Contribution, Achievements & Experiences and Financial Freedom & Rewards. In each section there is room for the goal as well as the steps you will take to get there. This is a meaty guide but it has all the ingredients for you to make meaningful change in your new year.
Making Your Resolution a Habit.
Any successful resolution is about creating - and repeating - a new habit. in his book The Power of Habit, Pulitzer Prize winning author Charles Duhigg breaks down the most important aspects of what makes a habit stick. He identifies three parts to a new habit: the Cue, the Reward and the Routine. Once you identify your cue and reward you are on your way to rewiring your brain so that you can uphold a new routine.
On his website, Duhigg shares a free resource for achieving your 2019 resolutions. “How to Design a Resolution that Lasts” includes a helpful infographic for implementing a new neurological process in your brain so that you can successfully make change, day by day, in the year ahead.
Your Personal Brand Worksheet.
A tool that we use in our leadership coaching and training classes is the Personal Brand Worksheet. In this 3-part exercise we ask you to think about and record what you are currently known for, what you prefer or aspire to be known for and then compile a list of actions to help you achieve your vision for yourself. The goal of this worksheet is to inspire reflection on what behaviors are serving you and what are no longer representing you in the most authentic way.
Self-awareness is the key to improving yourself as a leader and in your role at work. This worksheet is one way to raise awareness about yourself, identify a goal for change and create new methods for improvement. By doing so you create a path to empowerment and improved confidence, one step at a time.
Make 2019 the Year You Start Writing.
People often ask me how I actually wrote my book. When I got my publishing deal (and a deadline) I had to do a couple of things: 1. put writing into my weekly schedule and adhere to it, then 2. determine which time of day was best for creating content (the creative and imperfect part) and which time of day was best for editing content (the organizational and logical part). I wrote all my content in the late afternoon & early evening when I felt most relaxed and creative and did the majority of my editing earlier in the day when I was more alert and analytical. I included both types of writing in my schedule and I delivered my manuscript right on time.
if writing a book or a blog is on your list for 2019 then take a look at this article I recently discovered that articulates 6 practical tips for becoming a writer. Each tip is sensible and easily actionable….a true no-nonsense guide for getting words on the page. It includes insights from The True Secret of Writing (Atria), by Natalie Goldberg, and makes the case that if you want to write you simply have to start writing.
Here’s wishing you a wonderful start to YOUR new year, one that is a culmination of all your dreams and actions coming to fruition.
Please leave your takeaways in the comments section below, would love to hear all!
