Don't Do New Year's Resolutions
Do This Instead!
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Year End
It's the time of year when many people vow to lose weight, start working out, write a book, and so on. A new year or any obvious starting point is actually a good time to make changes.
Attempting to make those changes by creating a resolution typically fails. One reason resolutions fail is they aren't specific enough.
The example of 'I'm going to exercise more' is not a goal or framed in a way that drives habit creation or changes. Rather than spend time making resolutions, invest it in reflection.
I want to invite you to do a particular kind of reflection, Hansei.
Hansei is the Japanese word for self-reflection, with a meaning closer to introspection.
What I am sharing today is a simple and easy-to-do Hansei.
I like this simple list of questions in this order because it frames your mind to recognize success, reminds you of how you learn new things, and encourages you to think specifically about what you want and how it might be achieved.
📌 Here are the questions for your reflection.
What one thing did you do well this year?
What enabled you able to do that? Skills, habits, behaviors
What one thing did you do better this year than you’ve done before?
What enabled you able to do that? Skills, habits, behaviors
What one new thing did you learn this year?
How will you apply that in the future?
What one thing will you do better next year?
How might you do that?