2016 Resolutions? Nah… Still Not For Me

I have waited a little over a year to write this article. And yes, now that 2016 is in full swing, I can honestly say I am truly happy to see 2015 roll on out the door. Last year turned out to be one of the most challenging years of my life. In the summary of a five-year plan article I wrote called 2015: A Five Year Plan Review I called 2015 the year of reality checks. As in, I figured out what I’d be concentrating on going into 2016, and discovered what didn’t work in 2015. Armed with those two pieces of knowledge, I was able to put together a “wish list” of things I’d like to do in 2016.

“The key to conquering the mystery called life is simply knowing what to do!” ~Kay Leigh, aka me!

Yeah, I know this post comes almost three months into the year, but I wanted to take my time and really paraphrase the reasons why I still don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I wanted to see if my philosophy of writing a wish list of goals and pursuing them with passionate lust (no strings attached) still seems to be working in 2016 the same way it did in 2015.

Last year, I wrote the first segment of this article in 2015 Resolutions: Nah, Not for Me. I talked about why making resolutions doesn’t work for me. I chose to make a wish list instead. I am one of those folks who gets unfocused around the 3rd or 4th week of February when I set too high of a bar to reach. So I gave up the concept of telling/writing/promising myself and others what I’ll “resolve” to do… (insert the name of an impossible task here).

I chose to focus on a few goals, instead. We can easily say what we resolve to do, but unless there’s a solid plan geared toward reaching that goal, then we won’t achieve anything which most times results in disappointment. At least, that’s how the cycle tends to work for me. So if we aren’t going to resolve to do anything this year, then how do we know what to pursue? For me, I chose 5 main goals/wishes (you choose which term best suits your needs) and used the following steps to achieve them.

Be Reasonable.

If you want to lose weight in 2016, then set a goal, but don’t push the bar so high you wind up frustrated and further away from your dream. Get a trusty app like Trello, make a to-do list and then sit down and figure out who can help you reach the “done” column. More about these wonderful folks coming up later in the article.

In 2015, I set several goals, but didn’t resolve to do anything. Which basically means I kept my goals on track by keeping them personal and secret. I called it a wish list instead. Less pressure for me. Better results all around. Guess what? I hit each one of the items on my list.

As a result, I was able to finish the things I would have “resolved” to do had I decided to make new years resolutions. I wrote a post to explain why I wasn’t going to be making resolutions anymore and set concrete goals along with a list of wishes instead.

With the pressure on zero to nothing, I was able to concentrate on those things that I set out to do without beating myself up about my inability to conquer some impossible task I set for myself.

Dream Big. Start Small.

Nothing is worse than setting the bar super high and then getting smacked with a dose of reality after doing so. Sure, you can master a new yoga technique. Yes, a full diet of clean eating can help with your weight loss plan. It’s true that writing everyday will improve your skills. However, don’t resolve to become a yogi master in three months. Mastering the art of clean eating takes time and so does writing a book. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment by expecting too much in a super short time frame. When writing, don’t try to pop out your first novel in 30 days. (Yeah, I’ve seen all the books that claim you can do this). However, famous authors such as James Patterson have mastered this technique (and their team of ghost writers), and that’s okay for them to do so. Yet, your goal should be set to meet a reasonable word count each day.

 

Take Life Goals One Day at A Time

This advice is different from the second point made above. We’re talking life goals here, those promises we make to both ourselves and our loved ones. These goals will be the ones to make up the core of our personalities. They’ll help define the person we hope to become by the end of the year. Yet, they won’t happen if we set too many of them at one time. It might also be hard to make something happen if we try to tackle all of our items in one day.

I have friends who are super serious Type A personalities. The energy they bring to a room is infectious. Yet, many times I receive a phone call at the end of the day telling me how they’ve burned out. The result? Loss of productivity… aka failure to reach our goals. Sit down at the beginning of each month and write out a list of the things you’d like to do over the next thirty days. This is where the concept of a wish list comes in handy. What would you like to accomplish by the end of the month? How does this small item move you closer to your larger goal?

Each wish, every step you take should ultimately lead toward the big goals we mentioned in the Dream Big section of this article.

Get a Support Group

Audit your life on the last day of the month. Yes, this does work. At the end of each month, I write a list of ten things I’m working on. I call this concept the Life Survival Checklist, and it has become a major form of check-and-balance for making sure I’m doing the things I need to do to meet my goals. Plus, I tend to be a workaholic, so this list also tells me whether I’m working too much or if I need a little more “me” time thrown into the mix. A support group comes in handy for this part of the journey. Not only do my friends tell me how much they love my work and books and nail tutorials, but they also make sure they pull me out of the office and into our fun zone.

 

Look in the Mirror at the End of Each Day

This philosophy might not work for everyone, but the freedom to pursue dreams/goals/aspirations without making unrealistic promises to anyone and especially myself works for me. Do you see that gorgeous person staring back at you? Yes? Good.

Now repeat after me… I. Am. Beautiful.

I deserve to be happy. I can do anything and be anyone I wanna be.

Once you truly believe these words, then you can soar even higher than the sky!

What are some dreams/wishes/goals you’d like to accomplish this year?