It’s a brand new year, a fresh start! Blogs and social media are filled with inspirational articles and posts about sticking to your new year’s resolutions and starting off the year on the right foot. While I appreciate their spirit and effort, I’m going to rain on their parade. Resolutions just aren’t for me. I’ve come to terms with it, and decided that it’s OK to be a quitter when it comes to resolution. Does that mean I just plan to lollygag through the year? No, not at all. Instead, I’m focusing on the big picture.

I’m setting GOALS instead of resolutions.

Here’s my take on the reality of my New Year’s Resolutions:

office new years resolutions

Resolution: I’m going to go to gym every day.

Reality: I woke up on New Year’s Day with a self-induced champagne headache. Consequently, I didn’t really feel like listening to my feet pound on a treadmill. Do I feel guilty? Nope, not one bit. I had a great night and went running the next day. Instead of beating myself up over a little too much bubbly, I set a goal: Run 500 miles next year. It’s measurable, flexible, and realistic. And most importantly, it means I didn’t screw up on Day 1.

Resolution: I’m going to finish my office to-do list.

Reality: HAHAHA! I’m actually laughing to myself over this one. I’ve never finished a to-do list in my life. I’m too much of a planner; there will just simply never be enough hours in the day for everything I would like to accomplish. So instead, I decided to get more specific. My goal is to dedicate five hours to writing every week. In theory, I should be writing a lot more often than this given my job description, but there are meetings and events and all sorts of complications that sometimes a whole week will whiz by without a word. So instead, a much simpler goal: One hour a day – ish.

Resolution: I’m going to learn something new.

Reality: Of course you are. We are constantly learning and evolving, but what do you want to learn? Something that will improve your career? Perhaps, a new hobby? Pick something, make plan, and set a goal. This resolution is too general. You are basically say, “I’m going to wake up tomorrow.” While I sincerely hope that’s true, I hope your year is filled with a little more intentional substance that this.

To me, resolutions are a one-and-done kind of deal. Which can be great because they require full dedication, but for me they are unrealistic. Change is a process. My life requires flexibility, so instead of resolutions, I’m setting goals. Call them what you wish, but don’t get discouraged. 2015 is a work-in-progress, so cheers to improvement instead of perfection!

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