Dump the Resolutions – there’s a much better way to a great year!
You find yourself at the beginning of the year and it’s time to set your New Year’s Resolutions. STOP. Dump the resolutions this year.
Why? They just flat out don’t work. They set you up for failure. 25% of them don’t even last a week! Up to 80% are toast by February. Less than 10% of all resolutions end in success.
The older you get, the harder they are to achieve. One study showed that people in their 20’s are 3 times more likely to keep a resolution than those 50 years and older.
The problem with a New Year’s resolution is that the New Year only lasts for a few weeks at best. You’re not thinking about the New Year come March, April, or May. Once you miss your resolution then the guilt starts – you beat up yourself for not sticking with it. This is why it’s time to dump the resolutions.
There is a better way… Pick One Word!
A few years ago I discovered a book called “One Word That Will Change Your Life” written by a speaker I had met a few times named Jon Gordon. The idea is quite simple and powerful. Instead of creating a litany of resolutions for the New Year you just pick one word. You pick one word to focus on for the whole year. You set a theme or intention for the whole year. It’s more empowering and serves up a healthy dose of Clarity, passion, and inspiration.
I’ve done this with my family for years
We gather over the holidays to talk about what’s in store for our lives in the coming year. What do we need more of in our lives? What could be the main focus of the year? Is there a particular area we want to grow in? Who do we want to become over this next year?
In talking about it different words start to appear. We each keep a list of our possible words. Then we let them sit for a while. We let our subconscious mind process it. As ideas come to us we take some notes and start to get a feel for which word might be “the word” for the next year. We look up words and their different meanings. We spend some spiritual time asking for guidance in picking the word, the theme for the year ahead.
Then it comes to you – BAM!
You find your word! The word has power. The word inspires you. The word fills you with hope and energy about the future. The word is uniquely you for some reason. You have a why behind the word and that makes it a very personal word for you. My word for this past year of 2024 was Eat-Better. Yes, you can use a hyphen and get two words into your one word – lol. It was great to focus on eating better all year.
I had a piece of fruit and a salad every day. Just to prove it a few of us posted our fruits and salads every day on Facebook! The proof is there. I also learned that it’s not just about the food you eat. It’s what you think about while you eat the food, it’s where you eat the food, it’s how well you chew the food, and the intention (some call it prayer) you make right before you eat. It was a great year of eating.
In 2023 my word was Health. All year long I worked on health. Increasing my strength, eating a piece of fruit each day, and having a salad each day. By choosing that word it gave me the power with myself to make my health a priority. Given the choice I choose health over other things. My daily planner had a spot in the upper right corner where I wrote my word every day to remind me, to keep it top of mind.
In 2022 my word was Vital and I focused on the vital things of life and minimized or eliminated the trivial. In 2021 it was Scale and I focused on scaling my business that year. In 2020 it was Strengthen and I used that to strengthen everything in my life: my business, my Relationships and my body.
In 2019 my word was Encouragement. I focused the year on being that person of positive encouragement to others. That stayed with me as I moved forward into 2020. In 2018 my word was Essential. That year I focused on the things that were essential in business and life. I started some great practices that year that I still do today. One is a weekly Selfplan™ where I ask myself: What’s the most important thing I can do for __? I fill in the blank with key relationships and with business projects so I’m constantly focused on what matters most. Before that my word was Serve and the year before that it was Value.
How about You?
What could your word for THIS YEAR be? What do you want more of in your life next year? What’s coming up for you in this next year that needs your focus? Who do you want to become? What trait would you like to grow in yourself next year? Spend a moment starting to build your list of possible words. Talk about it with someone close. Spend some spiritual time asking for Wisdom about it. Then commit to that word for the year.
Catalyst. “Be the Spark, Ignite the Change”!
For me in 2025, my word is Catalyst. I focus on Personal Development, leadership, and helping others take action in their lives.
I like it because it’s action-oriented, it’s about empowering others, building momentum, and forward movement. This year I want to be a Catalyst for 10 times as many people as I help right now. I hope to be a Catalyst for you and some of your positive transformations in 2025!
Guess how I decided on my word this year?
Well, I do a lot of interaction with my friend ChatGPT. I asked her, with all you know about me what do you think my one word for the year should be? I also gave her the context of the book Jon Gordon wrote that we mentioned above. You can easily do that to get started.
Once you have your word – What’s Next?
You want to focus on and be reminded of your word as often as possible. Like I mentioned I write my word on my weekly plan each week to keep it top of mind. Some people create a sign with their word. Others create a painting or other artwork representation of their word. I encourage people to make a graphic with their one word in it.
I use a free program called Canva
You can set up a free account at Canva.com. You can quickly create graphics of all kinds for free and no special knowledge or skill is required. Millions of people are using this to create all types of graphics. Here’s an example of one I did for my word Scale. I use this graphic as the image for the lock screen on my iPhone. Many times a day I am reminded of my word, my focus for the year when I pick up my phone.
Next, you want to share your word with family and friends. Let people know what you are up to this year. It feels good to know others are supporting you and your word. Finally, you want to live out your word. Stay committed to that word for the whole year. You will grow. It will have an impact on you. It will last much longer than any resolution you could set. If you would like, you can share your word with me, my email is below. I wish you well for this coming year it will be a unique year of Growth for you. To learn more about the book that started it all for me you can visit: GetOneWord.com.
Take control pick your word, and make it a great day!
Blaine Oelkers, Your Chief Results Officer®
P.S. Let me know if you have any questions. Always happy to help.
P.P.S. Share your word for 2025 with me and let’s hold each other accountable to making it a reality! Once you have your word, how about picking a Mantra for the Year as well? For me, in 2025 my mantra is “Be the Spark!”
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