Are you an entrepreneur? A self-employed professional? Maybe you’re an adult with ADHD. So many of my clients (who all fall in one of these categories) have given up on making resolutions for the New Year. They can feel like you’re just setting yourself up for failure and disappointment.
Resolutions Help Decide on a Direction
Unfortunately, when you avoid resolutions, you give up on fresh starts. A resolution is an opportunity to draw a line in the sand and make a start fresh. It’s the best way to make improvements in your life. If the word resolution brings up feelings of incompetency for you, call them “intentions”, “decisions”, “a promise to yourself”, or a “direction”.
I’m always looking to become a better version of myself. Entrepreneurs need to constantly strive to be better versions of themselves to succeed. That’s why I refuse to give up on resolutions. I make resolutions to improve the quantity and quality of my sleep. I resolve to get in better physical shape. And I certainly want to socialize more with friends. Yes, I may fail to meet my goals. But any improvement is better than not trying.
Resolutions Build Excitement
Resolutions can help you choose and get excited about the projects you want to pursue this year. I’ll be launching two new and improved group coaching programs, Focus to Freedom and Plan to Succeed. I’m excited about helping more people reach their full potential.
What would you like to be excited about this year?
To increase your chances of achieve the change you desire, be aware of and solve the resolution traps. What are they?
The Resolution Traps
- A Decision with No Plan: Admittedly, most resolutions don’t bring lasting change. The problem isn’t the resolution. The problem is the poor plan for implementing the changes we want.
- An All or Nothing Attitude: ‘Black or white’ thinking is a problem. When we decide to lose 20 lbs., we go all in. We start strong! We go to the gym seven days a week. We eat kale every day. We quit smoking and drinking. Something’s got to give. When it does (and it will!), we miss a day or indulge in a piece of cake. Then we throw up our arms in disgust. We failed!
Avoiding the Traps
Adopt layered learning. What is layered learning? It’s a way humans were designed to change.
Layered learning looks like this:
- You decide to get healthy.
- You make incremental changes. Like becoming more physically active by taking the stairs when you can. Then you add 10 minutes of exercise twice a week. You drink more water.
- You implement these small steps and learn from them. You realize you need to carry a bottle of water with you to be able to drink more water. You look for more stairs to add into your travels. You realize you like going to the gym, so you up it to 20 minutes!
- You make small adjustments and improvements.
If you falter, you don’t abandon your resolution. You decided to improve your healthy habits.
You stick to that decision. But you stop and ask…
- What went wrong?
- What adjustments do you need to improve your chances of success?
5. You make adjustments and observe.
You’ve been learning that way from Day One. You learned to walk, one shaky step at a time. Once upon a time, you could only babble. Now you speak your mind. You would never have learned to do these things without Layered Learning.
Apply that lesson to the rest of your life and make 2020 and all the years to come better and better.
What project are you excited about for this year?
