Here we are again at the time of the year when we’ve spent time reviewing the previous year, and in this case … decade.  It’s now time to chart out what you’ll focus on for the coming year.

Have you taken the time to create your New Year’s resolutions?

Are you one of those people who just don’t believe in making resolutions?

Or …

Are you the person who won’t tell anyone because you’re pretty sure you won’t follow them anyhow and don’t want to embarrass yourself.  🙂

This year I took special care in setting my resolutions.  I used the fact that we transitioning from one decade to another as a reason to spend more time and effort reflecting and planning for the coming year.

I have to admit I’ve typically come up with resolutions like the following ….

“I will lose 20 pounds.”

or

“I won’t eat fast food.”

This year I was determined to come up with resolutions that were far more significant than I’d ever come up with in the past.  I decided I wanted to come up with  guiding statements that I could use to keep me on course for longer than the 30 days most people stay on course.

I normally keep my resolutions to myself since nobody really cares anyhow.  This year, however, I’d like to share them with you for a couple reasons.

First of all,  I think they are very solid and I’d love to have you hold me accountable if you see me going astray.

Secondly, I think they might help those of you who are still in the process of setting your resolutions for the coming year.

Well, here they are …

I will enjoy my family

This may seem strange and even something that should come naturally.  Well, I can honestly say I DO enjoy my family and really love spending time with them.

The only problem is when things get busy and life “happens,” it’s easy to lose sight of how important my family is, and at times, I allow my crazy schedule to impact my mood and the way I respond to the most important people in my life.  This resolution is meant to keep me on track.

When I notice that I am being short with them, or not paying complete attention because I am distracted with something else … I’ll think about this resolution and ask myself.  “Am I enjoying my family right now?”  I believe this will get me back on track.

I will live healthy

This resolution is something I can use whenever I am faced with making a potentially bad decision.  Just this afternoon, for example, I was bringing my daughter to her acting classes and ran through a drive through to get her some food to hold her over.  I was faced with the option of ordering some french fries or a nice greasy hamburger.  I immediately thought of this resolution and decided against it.

You may say, “Ah … I see.  You will live healthy but subject your daughter to being unhealthy.”  🙂

Come on.  I am 40 and have the metabolism of a sloth.  My daughter is a teenager and can handle a happy meal every now and then.

I will learn every day

Knowledge is power and the most successful people on this planet don’t let anything interfere with their learning.  I aspire to be one of those people so I don’t have a choice.  🙂

Seriously though, I am invigorated by learning and realize the more I learn, the smarter I become and the more value I bring to the marketplace.  I don’t care how busy my schedule gets, I can always find 30-60 minutes each day to participate in some active learning … and I will!

I will do it now

I, like a lot of people, have dealt with procrastination for a long time.  The horrible thing about procrastination is the amount of mental energy you expend thinking about the tasks you have on your plate.

No matter how big or small, they consume brain power you could be using for something productive.  Not only that … at times it can flat out cause you to deal with unnecessary anxiety.

How many times have you found yourself stressed out about a task for a couple weeks, a month, or even years.  Once you finally took the time to accomplish the task you found out it only took you a few minutes or an hour to accomplish.

Didn’t you feel stupid for allowing something so insignificant to occupy so much of your life?  What if you would have simply addressed it the first time it was on your mind?

From now on I will!  🙂

I will be focused

Although I say ADD is my superpower, it is also an excuse I use for non-productivity far too often.

The mind is an incredible tool!  I believe it is possible to harness the power and learn how to stay super focused on whatever I am working on at any time.  Doing this will ensure I stay as productive as possible and also will help my family realize how important they are to me.

How many times have you found your mind drifting off when your wife or kids were telling you about their day?  I can assure you the next time I find that happening I’ll think about this resolution and I’ll get my mind back and focused on the right thing.

I will finish

I’ve had a handwritten note on my desk for the past year which has a simple saying on it.  The saying is, “There is no lack of good ideas, only a lack of follow through.”

This is an incredibly strong statement and one I am truly glad I stumbled across.  We always tell our children, “You should always finish what you start.”

How can we tell our kids that and not live by the same standards ourselves?  Well now I will, and I believe my kids will follow my example much more than they listen to my words.

Well if they know what’s good for them they will.  🙂

There you have it folks.  Those are the six guiding resolutions that I’ll be highly tuned into for the next decade, and I believe the results will show.

I’d love it if you’d share any resolutions you’ve made which have had a significant impact on the course of your life. If not, your thoughts on this post would be fine.

I wish you the best for the new decade.  Whatever you do, approach each day with purpose and don’t let life guide you.  If you do, you may not like where it takes you.  🙂