I think the reason most New Year’s Resolutions fail is because they’re pitched wrong from the start. They’re either New Year’s Revolutions aimed at overthrowing or turning around a big problem in our lives, or they’re New Year’s Restitutions aimed at making up for some chronic deficiency or past failure. Either way, when we propose aspirations like these, we’re making a bad bet, one that will require large investment for limited return, and one that is likely to leave us more discouraged than different. No ball-dropping-champagne-fueled-moment-of-clarity-and-conviction is likely to reverse the well-worn path of habit or make you something you’re not. I believe in personal development, but the way to get it isn’t always to stop and go in another direction. Some of the most meaningful and achievable change in your life lies on (or at least near) the trajectory you’re already on.
What if this year, when the confetti flies and the calendar turns, you didn’t purpose to fix something wrong with yourself or to be more like you should be, but instead redoubled your efforts to be even more of who you already are? What if you didn’t try to backfill some gap in your abilities or whip up some discipline you lack, but instead to do more with the talents and habits you already have? What if you stopped trying so hard to be everything, and turned your attention to making the most of your thing?
This year, up the ante on the hand you’ve been dealt instead of betting on the come.
Happy New Year!
andrewjjohnston 