Research shows only 9 or 16% follow through with their resolutions according to the economic times.
Resolutions already are set up to fail since they have negative connotations and they dwell in lack, deprivation, and removal of behaviors of things.
Resolutions don't work because they are often said not written down, they don't have all the components: the why, the how, and so forth. There is no planning generally. They are often all or nothing and they are unreasonable. There is no follow-up, tracking, or review.
Resolutions are also often fighting against things you identify with - being overweight, spending lots of money, etc.
New Year, New You is based on forgetting all you are -good and bad, life lessons, etc and as if something is broken. Don’t we all love a good underdog story? A good comeback story? Your past is a part of that story.
Resolutions don't work because they are often said not written down, they don't have all the components: the why, the how, and so forth. Writing it down is scary but it is a more concrete plan.
What is your story? What do you want your story to look like?
Where all this originated was one song and one sentence at the Christmas show at church where they mentioned, “writing your story”. I felt like an arrow hit my heart and I was sure this was what we were supposed to be doing! I didn’t even understand what it exactly meant or what it would look like. I just understood that this was significant. I couldn’t even research because I didn’t understand it enough to know where to start. Little by little the ideas started to form and in true Godly fashion, information kept crossing my path. I kept working on this and every time I was planning to record, something would happen and I would have to wait. Every time I waited, a new piece entered the scene.
Think of what you first think of when you hear the word goal. There is a good chance you may relate it to a sport of some type. It could be soccer, basketball, football whatever but this is often a sports term. This often refers to someone sending an object through a small area, in just a moment of time, and then that moment is done. One thing this doesn’t focus on is the time that this person potentially dedicated to their sport, other than the one with the lucky shot which is unlikely to repeat and certainly isn’t going to help you achieve anything in life. It doesn’t tell the story of how this player practiced when others were playing. It doesn’t say how this player woke up early, trained hard, ate to fuel, and sacrificed endlessly. It also doesn’t tell the story of the player that doesn’t just stop because they put the ball in a net or through a field post. They don’t stop, satisfied with hitting the mark once, and go sit on a couch to eat potato chips and watch TV.
What if we built our story, that only ends when we are no more, in a manner that is shaped by what we really care about? Not what anyone expects or tells you it should be. What if we wrote it like we lived in a void of outside pressures and decided what our story would look like when someone stood up and read our life story to our great great grandchildren? I know this isn’t the first time I talked about your life being a reflection of your priorities, but what if someone could clearly read your story and see what mattered most to you? What if someone could see at a glance even, your priorities and your values? What if we start writing our story?
What does this look like? At least immediately, my thoughts are like an outline. There is an example in the free download on the website.
It was today that it came clear that the final piece is to basically reflect, write and celebrate each day as a part of that story. Yes, you do not have to write, but you should document even if it is a video or pictures something that you did today that served your story of who you are becoming.
