Tradition has taught us that each New Year is about promise, excitement and (dreaded) resolutions.
Some people are tremendously successful with keeping their resolutions up until at least February 1st . A few may maintain them until mid year and the majority of people seem to accept resolutions as a nice thought. Whatever your opinion, we can all agree that indifference is not something associated with 
January First.
“Tomorrow, is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one.”
― Brad Paisley, Country Musician
Your New Year
So… have you been thinking about what will be your 2016 resolutions? If you are inclined to set New Year’s Resolutions, my advice is to be
- Realistic in your expectations of yourself
- Develop your resilience in achieving them
Resolve to not to let small setbacks – or even large ones – kill your willpower. A healthy determination and mindset is what it takes to tackle problems one by one. With that, the likelihood of reaching your goals is pretty darn good.
“People are so worried about what they eat between Christmas and the New Year, but they really should be worried about what they eat between the New Year and Christmas.” – Anonymous
Top 5 apps to keep your New Year’s Resolutions
Me, Myself & I
I have to admit that many years ago I learned that resolutions were not my thing. Instead, I decided that I would assign January 1st as my day to reinforce my commitment to what I consider to be some of my life’s most important values – in both my business and personal life.
“Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits.” – Anonymous
My New Year “Resolutions”
As I have spent many years as a leader of people, I’d like to share with you some of the ‘resolutions’ I revisit, reinforce and review each Janauary 1st.
- Revisit what I stand for and why. Share this with others, and consistently act in a way that demonstrates these values and beliefs.
- Be more accountable. Admit mistakes, fix them, learn from them, and never point fingers or place blame.
- Listen more and better. Seek to understand the other person’s point of view and emotions without judging. Only offer my own point of view when I am sure I have understood theirs.
- Manage expectations. Be exceptionally clear with people about expectations both verbally and in written form. This effort helps people better understand their role and builds relationships that are respectful,professional and functional.
- Make meetings matter. Ensure that meetings are always about Purpose, People and Process. Be specific about the purpose of the team meeting, who needs to be involved and what is the best process for sharing this information.
- Provide regular feedback. Schedule regular get together to discuss concerns, opportunities, progress on goals, development, celebrate achievements, or just touch base.
- Mentor someone. Coaching and supporting someone is not just for the mentee, it also benefits the mentor and helps them become better at what they do.
- Show appreciation. Reach out to someone who has helped me become the leader I am today. Let them know specifically what they did and why it was so important to me.
- Be more innovative. Look for possibilities, and ask “why not”, and “what if”.
- Learn something new. Look for opportunities to become a more competent, capable and knowledgeable leader.
New Year’s Resolutions – the study
And for your reading pleasure – a little history Janus, Roman God of New Beginnings
“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” –Confucius
