New Year, New Plan
January is a time when most people consider what they want to do in the new year. Lose fifty pounds? Exercise two hours every day? Pay off the mortgage? Write 2,000 words daily? We grow practically giddy with the possibilities. Soon, like Don Quixote, we’re ready to tackle the new year with the intent of tilting at the biggest windmills, while slaying three or four dragons along the way.
No wonder so many resolutions are doomed.
Yet it’s only normal to be starry-eyed about a fresh new year. It feels like wonderful things are on the horizon – ones you may never have experienced before. The concept reminds me of the first day of school. With my pristine notebook and pencils in hand, I felt sure there were a million opportunities ahead.
But rather than a willy-nilly dash into a mountain range of lofty expectations, a better approach might be to take a long look at the previous year, and consider 2018. What were your achievements? Recognize them, and then give yourself a big pat on the back for your success. Be your own cheerleader. You did it! You are awesome! Go you!
As an example, before I tossed my 2018 calendar, I went through it month by month to refresh my memory, and realized I had participated in more than eighteen book signings/readings last year. Woo-hoo!
[image error]Brainstorm your plan (Pixabay)
Next, think about what didn’t work out so well. If given the chance for a do-over, how could you have improved the outcome? Perhaps you needed the advice/counsel of an expert, or maybe you should have moved forward in smaller steps. Analyze the problem, brainstorm ideas, and come up with a realistic plan that will help you accomplish the goal (or the modified goal) next time. For me, releasing three books, each a different genre, in a three month time span was pretty awful. Never again.
It will take a little time, but once you’ve completed your analysis, voilà! You not only have a starting place to decide what you’d like to accomplish in the new year, but a notion of how to get there. Mark your intentions on your 2019 calendar, appropriately placing items that are date sensitive. By using the calendar rather than a piece of paper that can (and often does) mysteriously disappear, you can also easily gauge your success when December arrives.
In my view, “resolutions” created via a thoughtful (rather than knee-jerk) process, have a much better chance of appearing on next year’s “success” list.
Happy planning and a happy New Year to all!
[image error](Pixabay)
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