THE
"NEW" RESOLUTIONS FOR 2013
New Year's Resolutions are a wonderful tool to better
your life and there is much to learn through reflection. It has been a long
standing tradition to write out a list of goals for the upcoming year on New
Year's Eve. Traditionally, these goals are then sealed away in an envelope and
saved to be opened at the conclusion of the year. At the conclusion of the
year, the goals are assessed and hopefully all (or close to all) have been
accomplished. It's a fun tradition that causes me to reflect on the year and
evaluate both good and bad; accomplishments and mistakes. From there, I
determine a new list of goals for the upcoming year. These goals are not the
same from year to year and they do not include ongoing goals such as weight
loss which will just be a flat rate goal for the rest of my life. These goals
are specific to the one year term.
Unfortunately, there are always goals that I forgot about
or goals that I somewhat accomplished but have not completed. In order to improve
my yearly results, I have made a few changes to this yearly tradition. I still
write out a list of goals on New Year's Eve for the upcoming year, but instead
of sealing it in an envelope, I tape it up in my closet or on my bathroom
mirror. Then, I take it one step further by developing a strategy to accomplish
each goal. For example, one of my goals for 2012 was to read four novels. I
wanted to learn to relax, put my work aside and enjoy a good book (an event
that hasn't occurred since prior to law school). I first broke it down into
time increments. Four books a year can be broken up into one book every three
months. The next step was to make sure I selected good books to avoid
purchasing something I get one chapter into and regret, not to mention the waste
of money. By asking around, I discovered that Barnes and Nobles has quiet
reading areas and comfortable furniture throughout their stores. And they have
a nice Starbucks downstairs. Once every three months, I made a trip to Barnes
and Nobles, got a nice cup of coffee, scoped out a few good looking books,
found a comfortable quiet chair and skimmed through my books reading a chapter
here and there. After enjoying my coffee and skimming through books, I selected
the most promising book for purchase so as not to waste money or time. Lastly,
I read the book at home and accomplished that particular goal for the year.
Some New Year's Resolutions may be of a more serious
matter, but this is just one example of how I take a goal and put it into
action. Leaving the written goals in sight, continually reflecting on them and
developing a plan to accomplish them keeps me focused and on track. You may not
have a plan to accomplish each goal right away, but that's okay. You can even
develop a plan for one goal at a time and then work on the next goal once that
first goal is accomplished. Just keep focused and then at the close of the
year, you'll be shocked at how many of those goals you've accomplished. Best
Wishes for 2013 and I hope this year is the first year you accomplish all your
New Year's Resolutions!
