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The New Year provides a great opportunity to “Press the Reset Button on Your Life.”  

Many resource guides out there (and there are quite exceptional ones, I might add!) purport to tell you exactly how to reflect back on your year and how to finally find the happiness you’ve been looking for. 

January is a loaded month, full of anticipation and “musts” for many of us. I’ve scoured some of my favorite blog posts from around the Web and found what I think to be the best advice for creating the exact life you want in 2009. 

Certainly, it sounds so “New Year-ish” to post a “how to succeed at resolutions” at the beginning of the year. Give me a break, right?! But the reality is, many people do use the New Year as a time to start fresh. If you fit into this category, I’ve done some of the legwork for you here. 

A New Year-ish How-To Guide 

1. Choose your resolution. Seems simple, but if you’re looking for real change in the New Year, you’ll need these four steps to choosing a resolution. 

I love this technique because it requires you to be very specific about which changes you’re working toward. Don’t be scared off by the word “change.” The world is always in flux. Whether you consciously dig your heels in or not, you’re in flux too. So it’s best to put yourself in the driver’s seat rather than sit back and just let life happen. True? 

2. Start small. According to Jodi Womack, you must ask two important questions to be successful with a new endeavor: 1) What’s the simplest thing you could do?; and 2) What could you do today? 

With any new change, we put too much pressure on ourselves to do something great at the get-go. That’s why I like these questions. Don’t compare your goals with others, and don’t judge yourself. Your goals are yours, no matter how big or small. Starting small, and starting today, gets you moving. 

3. Hold yourself accountable. The truth is, no one will be as committed or care about your life goals as much as you. Sure, they might support you and will cheer you on. But let’s be honest. It’s human nature to focus on our own goals and ambitions first, then think of others AFTER we’re done thinking of ourselves. Therefore, hold yourself accountable. 

I’m an avid twitter user, and a fellow follower stated that, in 2009, she was going to be self-employed. When I asked doing what, she said, “As long as I am helping people, it matters little WHAT I do. Right now I am only helping my employer.” (I’ve intentionally left identifying information on this person – and if you’re reading, I’m sorry, I did just call you out! =)

Well, news flash! Self-employment isn’t going to just happen to this person! Why? She doesn’t really have a goal in mind. My statement back to her was: Of course you need to pick something specific to do, then DO IT! Will she take the advice? We’ll see. Will you? 

4. Take a step back from yourself. Ask the question, “Why would you get depressed about the way your life is when it really matters so little?” Seamus Anthony reminds us that our stint here on Planet Earth is small. Indeed, it is. 

When you gain a sense of this universal perspective, you realize that, in the grand scheme of life, our small obstacles really don’t matter much. Sure, the term “small” is debatable. But that perspective is also your choice. Do you choose to make your obstacles small or big? The answer to that question could very well determine your levels of happiness and success. 

5. Give yourself permission to reassess. I haven’t found this tip during my rereading of my favorite blogs, but I think it’s incredibly important: Give yourself permission to tweak and adjust your goal. No, it is NOT giving up. It’s NOT cheating. It’s merely reassessing the goal you’ve set for yourself and adjusting where necessary. 

Eight years ago when I was training for a marathon, I suffered a knee injury that hurt in more ways than one. I felt as if I’d failed myself. However, it was simply time for a readjustment and reassessing. What were my end-result goals, and how else could I meet those goals? 

6. Don’t be afraid to “just be.” I know, for many, January is an incredible time of “just doing,” so this step–to just be–requires a little faith. You CAN’T “just do” if you aren’t just being. Doing (something, anything) without any sense of the end result will spin you into a frenzy–to Nowheresville fast. You’ll be completely drained, and you’ll give up on any goal you create for yourself. 

With so much information on the Internet about goal-setting, especially in the New Year, you’ll have ample resources at your fingertips to cause all kinds of confusion and chaos in the midst of change. All that “how to” information can be a real productivity drain. 

My goal in this blog, on the other hand, is simplicity. No need to get yourself into a whirlwind over change! No need to pull your hair out thinking: what to change, how to change, when to start changing, and, of course, what to do when we have a misstep. 

Hopefully, with my simple guide, I’ve distilled the very best information available, as well as provided you permission to reassess. 

The great thing about each day, including the first of January, is that it provides us new opportunities to choose differently. We can choose in this moment. And now in this moment. And now in this moment … 

With that, I want to hear from you: 

What is your best New Year’s resolution advice?  What New Year’s resolutions will you make? What will be the most important part of your goal-setting in 2009?

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Tags: goal, personal development
Posted in Empowerment, Life Change | 8 Comments »