Forget New Year Resolutions, Try Year End Resolutions Instead

Friday, December 05, 2014

Lea McLeod, GoLocalPDX Careers Expert

Fireworks over Portland

Can you believe, it’s just few short weeks – 26 days to be exact – until the year is over and 2015 is knocking at our doors?

And as is often the case, at the end of the year we’ll begin the ritual of “resolution setting” or whatever the equivalent is for you. Many of us like to focus on the future, because we don’t want to look at the things we’ve dropped the ball on this year.

You know. The thing that when you wake up on January 1, you think, “Oh man, I can’t believe I didn’t get that done in 2014.”

The key to starting a New Year right, is to end the current one they way you intend. Forget New Year resolutions.

Instead, set your “year end resolutions” and wake up renewed on January 1.

What is that thing for you? And what will you do about it before the clock runs out on 2014?

I’d like to challenge you to fend off “New Year’s Remorse” in 2015.

Think about the one thing you’ve been avoiding?

What is the one thing that if you did it this year, would transform you, your business, your job, your family?

What is that one thing for you?

Once you’ve determined that one thing, here are three things to consider as you resist the urge to let them hold you back.

1. Screw courage. You’ve got 26 days. It’s white-knuckle time.

If you’re waiting for courage to show up, STOP FREAKING WAITING.

I’m all for courage.

But sometimes you’ve just got to white knuckle your way through something.

The thing you fear is like a speed bump keeping you from moving forward. The problem is to get over the speed bump you need traction + movement.

There’s only one way you get that, and that is BY TAKING ACTION.

You can look at that speed bump all day waiting for courage to show up. But the only thing that’s going to get you over it is movement.

What is the fear for you that if you overcame it, could transform you job, your life, your business in the next 26 days?

What white-knuckle action will you commit to taking?

2. Kick your Self-Sabotage to the curb.

When football players huddle up, they have 25 seconds to finalize and execute the play. In that time they are FOCUSED.

They are not checking their email.
They are not posting selfies on Instagram.
They are not texting their friends.

They are 100% focused on understanding the goal, and executing the play in the time they’ve been allotted by the game.

Are you executing as well as the guys in the huddle?

Or are you sabotaging yourself by letting distractions, poor planning, and lack of focus manage you?

This week, identify what’s holding you back. Next week, start changing your behavior:

Get very clear on the objective(s) you want to accomplish by year’s end.
Keep a time journal of when you’re really focused, and when you’re in distraction mode. Notice: Are you 100% focused when you’re working on key priorities? Or are you letting email, social media, texts and other people’s priorities get in your way?
Once you’ve identified your blockers, use technology to keep you on track. There are any number of programs that will help you time your work sessions, or block your internet access to keep you focused.
Break your big objectives into individual tasks into chunks of time when you will work on nothing else. Set your time, work in 20, 30, or 50-minute chunks, and then take a break.
Find an accountability partner to help you stay on track. Report out each day the progress you’ve made.

3. Get back to the basics.

So often when I work with clients, it’s not the complex stuff that trips us up. It’s hardly ever that.

It’s usually the things we have complete control over. It’s the fundamentals.

Do a reality check with your fundamentals. See how improving your game can help you avoid New Year’s Remorse. Do a check in on these “big 5” basics.

Are you communicating clearly and effectively? Do you test that others have heard your messages in the way you intended?
Are you setting clear goals so that you know what results you intend to achieve?
Are there relationships you need to work on between now and year’s end, to help you be more effective in your work? Colleagues? Manager? Family?
Are you addressing conflict when it arises, or are you avoiding and suppressing it, and getting more stressed out?
Are you burning the candle at both ends, leaving work late and then doing email until all hours? Is your physical and emotional health suffering?

Which of these, or others, are keeping you from ending the year the way you want? Start addressing them now.

And get ready to end the year with No Regrets.

Lea McLeod created The Resume Coloring Book E-course to help you craft a step-by-step, color-coded resume in 6 simple sections that is proven to pass the “7 second recruiter scan.” Her career insights have been featured in Forbes, Mashable, LifeHacker, Daily Muse and Business Insider. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter.