“The secret of change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”-Socrates
Did I just start a blog post with a Socrates quote? 2019 me is so fancy.
It’s a powerful truth though, isn’t it? Freeing. Because I don’t know about you, but I am so guilty of focusing too much energy on fighting all my old behaviors instead of innovating ways to move forward.
That’s what we really want right? As we stare into a New Year we think about what it could look like if we changed our behaviors and set some resolutions.
But here’s the million-dollar question:
Do New Years Resolutions actually work?
Old me, the one who wasn’t so smart and didn’t start blog posts with Socrates quotes, used to think setting goals was essential in order to be successful in life.
Then… I realized something, I realized every person is wired just a liiiittle bit different.
What works for some doesn’t work for all. We each have different wiring, different internal motivators.
I’ll give you an example.
I follow a lot of experts in the leadership and productivity field. Much of their advice is great and I’m sure works for quite a lot of people. However, with some, I find myself hanging on their every word; their insight easy to apply. While others, they make me want to kick them shut my laptop. I find their approach frustrating instead of energizing.
Why? Because we’re all different.
There is ONE thing that unites us though…ONE thing we can all apply to our New Years goals: Intentionality.
Intentionality is everything. Zig Ziglar famously said,
“if you aim at nothing you will hit it 100% of the time.”
So what’s the difference between typical resolutions and an intention? One can make you feel guilty, and shameful if you mess it up before, oh, January 7th? But the other (intention) inspires you to keep moving forward even if you don’t succeed at the onset.
Today, no matter how you’re wired, what your Enneagram # is or where you find yourself leaning in the 4 tendencies. Here’s a way we can all get a win this year:
Set S.M.A.R.T goals.
Set them this week.
And set them intentionally in different areas of your life.
What is a S.M.A.R.T goal?
This word S.M.A.R.T is an acronym:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Timebound
It looks like this; Instead of having a far-off dream you hope to one day accomplish, there’s specificity and accountability woven into it.
Here me when I say, dreams are awesome! I’m a dreamer. I married a dreamer. We need dreamers. But, we also need their dreams to materialize.
So what does this mean for you?
Say, you have a dream to, “lose weight and be in shape”
Cool dream. Not a goal.
A goal looks like, “I want to lose 30 pounds in the next 5 months. (Specific)(Timebound) In order to do this, I’ll need to lose 6 lbs/month. If I am going to lose 6 lbs/month, I need to lose 1.5 lbs a week. (Measurable) In order to lose 1.5 lbs a week, I need to create a calorie deficit of 750 calories a day through diet and exercise. (Attainable) Your plan for doing that? Swapping out your White Chocolate Mocha/Bagel habit for my favorite smoothie 😀 and committing to burning about 400 calories a day by being active and exercising. (Relevant)
That seems a little more doable than the ambiguous dream of losing 30lbs someday right?
If you are wired to be a goal setter, I strongly encourage you to set S.M.A.R.T goals. They will help you achieve more than you could ever imagine.
If you are not a goal setter, I strongly encourage you to be intentional with your life this year.
And if you fall short, start over.
As my good friend (I wish) Philip Rivers says, “Nunc Choepi.”
“Nunc Choepi,” is Latin for, “Now I began.” The connotation is actually “Began again.”
In essence, Phil, as I call him because we’re good friends, is saying no matter what happens, or what mistakes you make, or where you fall short, or what regrets you may have, “Nunc Choepi (began again).”
2019 is about setting realistic (S.M.A.R.T.) goals and having realistic intentions.
You, amazing human, are going to mess up. You’re never going to be perfect! Stop judging yourself and “Nunc Choepi.”
It’s ok if you mess up a goal. It’s ok if you have to recalibrate, only make it 7 days before cheating on your 30-day diet, or miss an entire week of workouts.
Don’t throw in the towel on your marriage goals if you and your spouse get into a fight or your Spiritual goals if you go a few days without reading your Bible.
Nunc Choepi
You have permission to stop fighting the old and begin work on building the new.
This year, instead of letting guilt & shame cause you to quit focusing on the good you might have done, Nunc Choepi.
Begin again. Make your goals S.M.A.R.T. If you do that, you will never fully give up, and you will continue step by step moving forward.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Cor 5:17
Happy 2019 everybody!
Nunc Choepi,
Chris
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