An Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions

Do you set New Year’s resolutions? Do they stick?

According to which research you look at, about 80% of resolutions get abandoned just six weeks later. There are many reasons for that but suffice it to say that it doesn’t seem that new year’s resolutions really work. And from personal experience I can attest to this.

 Several years ago I started doing a year-end closeout instead, and then moving away from just setting goals but also setting intentions. While goals are focused on specific and measurable outcomes, intentions are about how we wish to be, who we wish to become, and how we want to show up in the world.

We’re getting close to the end of 2022. In the words of James Clear, author of Atomic Habits: "What is something you can accomplish in the final weeks of the year? The year isn't over yet. End on a high note.”

I love this thought. Often, people want to rush into the new year, thinking that it's going to end the challenges or pain they felt in the current year. But that's simply not true. We take everything with us - all the frustrations, sorrow, chaos, uncertainty - these things don't go away just because the calendar changes from one year to the next. We're still the same person, with the same problems, with the same thoughts, with the same feelings.

But does that need to be the case? I'm here to tell you that it does not! You can choose to be a different you. You can choose a new set of thoughts. You can choose how you wish to end the year. And you can choose how you walk into the new year. These are all intentions.

You can choose how you walk into the new year.

One powerful way of doing this is to do a year end review and closeout. I started doing this several years ago after being inspired by a Tim Ferriss blog post about his year end review exercise. I was inspired to review my past year and asked myself a series of questions that I journaled on. These reflections really helped me understand my year, remember all the positive things that happened, allowed me to acknowledge lessons learned and things that I was proud of, and also what I wanted to let go of. Most importantly, it helped me set the tone for the new year ahead, from a place of calm, rather than from a place of "I should" or the usual frenetic resolution setting.

I realized that closing out the current year allows me to pause, reflect, and be present. It changes how I approach the new year. I learn from last year to know where I want to focus (or refocus) my energy in the new year. I remember all the positive things that happened and take time to acknowledge the things I'm proud of. I take time to be clear on what my priorities are and what I really want to accomplish in the year ahead.

I realized that you can't start something new without ending the old. Saying goodbye to the old year from a place of gratitude and acceptance means you'll start the new year with a fresh perspective and renewed energy.

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” ~ T.S. Eliot

Wishing you a 2023 that is filled with love, laughter, joy, adventure, health, and peace.

Vera
xx