Here's a list of top New Year's resolutions:
- I will spend more time with family and friends.
- I will exercise regularly.
- I will lose weight.
- I will quit smoking.
- I will enjoy life more.
- I will quit drinking / drink less.
- I will get out of debt.
- I will learn something new.
- I will help others.
- I will get organized.
One problem with New Year's resolutions is that they typically focus on areas of weakness - eliminating or overcoming problem areas in our lives.
My challenge to you this New Year is to write a list of your strengths and then strategize how you will develop those strengths, how you will continue to grow in your areas of ability.
Be behavioral and specific. If you struggle to come up with a list of your strengths, ask colleagues, friends, and family members for their input.
I'm not saying you shouldn't quit smoking or that I shouldn't lose weight. I am saying that you need to distinguish between "weaknesses" that are part of your fundamental makeup and those that really do need to be addressed.
Julian Consulting helps people understand their natural wiring - their personality types and preferences. Personality type is not an excuse for weakness, but it is an invitation to surround yourself with others having complementary strengths, to give up our demand for omni-competence and to realize that no one of us is complete without the strengths of others.
So don't spend this year trying to become someone you aren't, spend it becoming a more successful you. Don't commit to vague generalities, "I will get organized," but be specific in building on your natural foundation. "I will use a monthly planner to track all important dates, events, and appointments. I will keep it in plain view and review it at the beginning of each day."
A second problem with New Year's resolutions is the lack of follow-through. One of the keys to creating reality from your plans is accountability. Julian Consulting helps clients by holding them accountable to their behavioral commitments for growth.
This may be exactly what you need to make 2011 your most successful year yet.
The other side of focusing on self-improvement is your opportunity this next year to give others the gift of needing them. I once knew a young woman who wanted to get married, but never seemed to have a lasting relationship. Because we were close, one day in conversation I decided to be candid: "You don't allow others to feel needed. You are completely independent and self-sufficient. Those may be great qualities, but they aren't attractive to a potential mate." I don't know that our conversation had any effect, but she is happily married today - hopefully her husband knows that she needs him.
Someone in your life needs to know that he/she is needed - don't withhold that gift by pretending you can do it all.
