Happy New Year one and all! Seasons greetings from me and mine to you and yours, wherever and whoever you may be. Welcome to 2019 and the first update of the year. The time for those Resolutions to kick in. Or should we be talking about Revolution?
Every year, we make the resolve to change. The New Year Resolution. A firm decision to do or not to do something. A few that come to mind are:
- Quit smoking
- Drink less
- Lose weight
- Find a new job
- Save more money
- Learn a new skill
- Make more time for friends and family
These are all good ideas. Many of us cite these as reasons for our ails. The fundamentals that cause problems in our personal or professional lives.
Often times, I find that these things – among others are not the reasons why we’re not living or working effectively, but merely symptoms. In the same way, maintenance of a car begins before the oil change or refuelling. It comes with the underlying knowledge to drive the car correctly. Economically. Safely. To use the right fuel and oil.
Therefore most, if not all resolutions, fail because we don’t take the correct initial actions. The underlying maintenance that we all need. In order to achieve this, I believe we need Revolution in order to achieve Resolution.
The Oxford English Dictionary defines Revolution (apart from overthrowing governments, and beheading monarchs etc.) as:
A dramatic and wide-reaching change in conditions, attitudes, or operation.
Thus I would like to suggest a different approach. A reframing of our attitude towards change. Ultimately, this is what we’re talking about – Change. Firstly, it should not simply be confined to the New Year. Secondly, we could look to Revolution as opposed to Resolution, in order to achieve our goals.
The starting point for these is not confined to New Year. Let’s face it – how many things can you change at once? To get the ball rolling, my 10 Revolutions would be:
- Challenge yourself – for something new to come into your life, something has to make way. The challenge may then be: What? How? And when?
- Be honest with yourself – you know what isn’t right. Face up to it and own it take responsibility
- Start networking – if you don’t have the right support to help you with your revolution, then you need to meet like-minded people who support your endeavours
- Reframe – find a silver lining. There is a positive side to even the most difficult situation. This is often the key to embracing any change
- Schedule – we all know that old saying: failing to plan is planning to fail. Therefore schedule what needs to be done. Plan and get organised
- Appreciate your accomplishments – instead of going cold-turkey, cut down, to begin with. Celebrate this and then raise the bar (see 1 above)
- Read more – in the connected world we now live in, there is bound to be a book or website that can help you along
- Take notes – there is always a time when inspiration, ideas come from nowhere. Make a note because we can always forget
- Don’t be afraid to make mistakes – shit happens! So what? Keep an eye on the bigger picture. Mistakes only tell us to take another route not to give up
- Be humble – if and when your revolution leads to resolution, be humble. By all means exercise (6) above but remember: nobody likes a smart arse!
So those are my top 10 revolutions for this year. For sure there are some that I can employ. Scheduling is often alien to me. Taking notes, challenging myself and more. There are changes we can all make. This is the brutal truth.
In order to stop smoking? Challenge yourself. To reduce or stop drinking? Same applies. Want to make time for friends and family? Schedule it. Want a new job or learn a new skill? Network. Get yourself out there.
Revolution is not simply for beheading greedy monarchs. It is actually a personal means to achieving your aims and accomplishing resolution.
If you need help with any of these points, get in touch and we can have an initial conversation. If not, then apply them by yourself. In any case, I wish you all a safe, loving, healthy, wealthy and joyous 2019.
Until next time,
Your Coach Ben
