New Year’s Resolutions

What is your New Year’s Resolution? Do you have just one, or a long list of things you plan to change, improve, or stop doing? Maybe this list includes items such as lose weight, exercise regularly, read a book a month, start networking, get my national certification, join a professional organization, or stop smoking. The list is endless, isn’t it?

Someone asked me on New Year’s Day what mine is, and my reply is that I don’t make resolutions. Because of the look on her face, I felt I should explain.

For some reason, these promises always seem to be something people don’t take seriously. I’m guessing this year won’t be any different. Watch for articles and blog posts toward the end of the month or early February. You’ll start seeing articles about how many resolutions have been broken already or how many people don’t expect to be successful through the entire year. I have seen in years past that a number of people made so many they don’t even remember what they were. For this reason, I stopped making “new year’s resolutions” a long time ago.

This doesn’t mean that I stopped working on self-improvement. It just means that I approach it differently.

There is no set date for a resolution

I find it strange to wait for a specific date before starting to make improvements in my life. For example, I have created a daily gratitude routine, which started early December. I read about someone doing this specific process and chose to adopt it myself. If I was a New Year’s Resolution type, I would have waited until January 1, proclaimed that I will do this, and then begin. Instead, I just started doing it that very day. No waiting, no horns and confetti. Just me choosing to be a more appreciative person. Why put off the positive change because it isn’t the specific day to begin? With that line of thinking, there would be no positive change throughout the year. I find it easier to make adjustments, improvements, or whatever you want to call them, when it’s in my heart. If I went by the calendar, and learned of this process mid-January, would that mean I should wait until the following January 1 to adopt it?

Years ago when I had the calendar dictate my changes, it wasn’t a total commitment. I realized that I was doing something because I was expected to have a new resolution and the calendar stated when I would start. Therefore, my heart wasn’t in it, the commitment wasn’t there, and the end result was broken resolve.

Resolution or commitment

Dictionary.com says that the word commitment means “a pledge or promise; obligation” and that resolution is “the mental state or quality of being resolute; firmness of purpose.” Basically, they mean the same. So why are so many resolutions broken? Maybe because people aren’t mentally committed. Maybe because it’s something everyone else does, so they do it for that reason and not for their own purpose. 

We trust that  self-improvement, professional development, continuing education, and growth in your business are all part of your commitment as a professional. We at NICA are here to help you meet these needs.