Happy New Year!
Have you ever wondered why it’s so common to set resolutions and intentions at the start of a new year? (and why they may not always stick?)
The turning of the page to a new year (and time in general), is a purely human construct that helps us measure things. It’s no different than using a tape measure to get the dimensions of your living room.
Years are like inches, miles, kilometers and gallons. They are just units of measurement.
When we see the dawn of a “new year” as simply the changing of the label from this unit of measurement to the next, it begs the question about why we make such a big deal about the New Year’s holiday, and more importantly, how we can make the MOST of this transition to 2017.
According to a University of Scranton study, 92% of all “New Year’s resolutions” fail. There are many reasons for this, but I think the most influential causes are two fold:
- We tend to place too much significance around what we want to push and strive for and achieve – in the future – internalizing the resolutions to mean that how we are NOW is not good enough. Unfortunately, those feelings can sabotage our good intentions.
- We tend to implement changes that focus on the (often drastic) new actions, rather than the desired impact that will be achieved by setting a clear intention of WHY we want to make these changes.
So, to maximize our success, live in our vision and be in alignment and in integrity with our purpose all year long, let’s use January as a time to set a clear intention for how we want to BE and what the impact of that will be on those around us in the year ahead… and shift this process to a regular practice.
I encourage you to set aside time over the next few days to give yourself this gift of clarifying your WHY around any new intentions or goals for 2017. What will happen when you achieve them? Why does this matter? To whom? What will the impact be if you don’t achieve what you set out to do? How will you feel?
Then, choose the embodied actions (thoughts, feelings, language, actions) that will support and create the possibility for “getting” what you want. Think about what small shifts you can make throughout your day and your week that can help bring new habits or practices into your life. Let’s do this for ourselves, and for the organizations that we lead, our families, our communities.
This is why I love my coaching work, and consulting with Board members and staff to leverage leadership transitions. When we take the time to pause and find clarity on our strategic trajectory, identify our WHY’s, and focus on our “goals of impact” – all while BE-ing in alignment with ourselves or our organization’s mission – AMAZING things occur!
Helping leaders and organizations create these shifts and clarity around WHY is where I shine as a coach and consultant.
If you’re feeling inspired, I invite you to schedule some time with me here to chat about what it would look like for me to guide you or your organization in 2017 to set and achieve YOUR intentions for this year and beyond.
To your success in 2017!
Kathryn