keep your new year's resolutions

​So…this past Saturday morning while waiting to flip a batch of chocolate chip pancakes, I noticed that my calendar also needed flipping…to February.  Like most calendars should, my fun new Goldbergs edition honors Groundhog Day.  Yep, this past Saturday, Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his burrow to let me know whether I’ll be suffering through 6 extra weeks of winter.  Deep down, I always hope that Phil can predict the weather and that he doesn’t see his shadow.  Since I live in Montana, I guess I’m supposed to like winter…but I don’t…end of story.

​For some strange reason, I also think of Bill Murray and his 1993 movie, Groundhog Day, every February 2.  I guess I must have liked it back in the day and so the plot got stuck in my brain.  If you’ve seen the movie, you’ll remember that Bill relives the same day over…and over…and over again--trapped in an endless time loop that no one else is aware of and from which there is no escape.  If I dwell on this idea, I get a little depressed--it gets me thinking about those New Year’s resolutions from the month before…or worse…the year before.

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​Do you find yourself making the same resolutions year…after year…after year?  Maybe it’s shedding 20 pounds…or running your first half-marathon.  Maybe it’s reading a good book every couple of months…or earning a Masters degree.  Maybe it’s building a better relationship with your daughter…or speaking to her for the first time in 10 years.  What were your 2018 and 2019 resolutions, and how’s it going with keeping them?  If you’re anything like me, you want to keep New Year's Resolutions…but in order for that to happen, you need the right approach and you need the right tools.  I’ve been looking for these myself lately, so allow me to share three good ones:

No. 1:  Get intentional and smart about setting goals

​Buy a daily calendar or planner and write your goals down…no excuses…this is a no-brainer.  Studies show that putting your goals on paper helps you achieve them.  Next, set smart goals that reflect a truly valuable life change you want to make.  A great example is weight loss.  How many of us have said:  “I want to lose 10 pounds.”  Most of us can lose that weight by starving ourselves for a month, but is this what is truly valuable?  Instead, get smarter about the goal and look for the effect.  For example, say: “For this month, I will not eat an unhealthy snack between lunch and dinner on weekdays.  If I’m hungry, I’ll eat some fruit or vegetables.  I will also not eat after 8:00pm.”  Write those goals down on your calendar every day if you have to and see how much weight you've lost after the month is over.  Whatever the number of pounds you're down, you can be proud that you have made a healthy change that can produce life-long benefits.  Check out this article for more:  Following Through

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No. 2:  Share your resolutions with some friends

Recent research shows that goals have a 65% chance being completed if they are shared with someone, and if you set up an appointment with that person to discuss it later, the rate of success goes up to 95%.  There’s something real about the follow-through effect of confiding in someone and being accountable for doing what you say you’ll do.  Deep down, we all want to mean what we say to our friends and not be fakers.  For more, see: Reach Your Goals

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No. 3:  Become a gritty person

I just listened to an awesome book by Angela Duckworth on what it takes to achieve things in life.  Angela pursued this subject with passion and purpose using solid science and real-world psychological research.  After listening to her book, Grit:  The Power of Passion and Perseverance, I’m now convinced that people don’t need to be especially talented to achieve great things…they just need...Grit.  Check-out Angela’s 6 minute TED-talk here: GRIT

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Commit to NOT being like Bill Murray's movie character...DON'T allow 2019 to be a repeat of 2018.  Revisit those New Year’s resolutions that you made last month with some new perspective.
 
Oh...by the way, Phil didn’t see his shadow this year.  Can you say…H E L L O...SPRING!!!