New Years Resolutions and why I don't make them

I just read a post that does a pretty good job of explaining my view of New Years resolutions at 43folders. The short version, if you don't want to read the article, is that I don't make resolutions at New Years.

This does not mean I don't spend some time evaluating what I'd like to accomplish or change this year. In my business, I do a regular quarterly review and planning session, setting goals for the following quarter. There are solid, concrete goals I can take action on every week. They help keep me on track with my long term business goals.

In my private life I am participating in Ali Edward's One Little Word project and her class at Big Picture Classes. This is fundamentally a different process than making resolutions. It is finding a word that speaks to you and your life, and being open to the possibilities of that word throughout the year. This one word can turn out to reflect your life as it is, and also to influence your life as it becomes. Sometimes it might reflect a desire for change or self improvement, but it isn't a laundry list of achievements to be conquered. I loved to see how my one word played out in 2010, especially because 2010 was a demanding year in many ways. I'm eagerly looking forward to what becomes of my one word in 2011, even though there is also a little trepidation as well, a reflection of the challenges in 2010 related to my word.

I don't have any specific goals in mind for my word, grace. There isn't some end point I am trying to reach. I have no idea where it will lead me, but I'm sure it will be an interesting journey.

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