The best resolution you can make

The new year is a time for change for us all. While many might lambast resolutions as ineffective and misguided, I am a staunch supporter of anything that spurs people to find the best version of themselves. However, many resolutions do fail. So how can we find a way to grow in a sustainable and meaningful way?

Much of the failure of resolutions is due to their ambiguity. Losing weight of being better with money are too general. They don’t have specificity. They usually are based on an outcome. And they don’t hold any intrinsic value. So when that external motivation to change starts to fade, we give up. Which lines up perfectly with the finding that January 19 is the day that we are most likely to quit our resolution. This year, try something different.

Something I’ve been working with my clients on this year is to simply identify our values. These can be something as lofty as honor or love or as grounded as hard work. But finding what we value most is a proxy for finding out who we are. We just have to do some work.

For me, the pandemic was a simple way for me to figure out my values are. Life was stripped down to its bare essentials. There were no distractions to hide behind. Everything was laid out. And I had everything I needed. My family, my health/fitness, and my work. These three simple things were all I had and all I needed. For many others, it was what was taken away. Travel. Social situations. Dining out. We often don’t know how important things are to us until we lose them.

So this year, instead of making a resolution that lacks meaning to you, try instead to find meaning in resolve. Identify what’s important to you and focus your goals there. Build a better resolution.

If you want a simple exercise to help you develop goals around your values, click on this article here.