As we start the New Year, having said goodbye to the old, it is natural to review the old and conjure up dreams for the new with New Year’s Resolutions, goals for what you want to achieve and a plan.

The rebel in me comes to the forefront when I receive message upon message urging me to plan for my best year yet. This is a terrible thing for a coach to admit since coaching in its purest form is future based, goal driven and the fastest way to get you from where you are to where you want to be.

Still, setting a direction and having a clear outcome is important. How else will you know when you have arrived where you want to be? So here are a few alternative approaches for making the most of the New Year or indeed any time you want to make a change. Pick the one that resonates and let me know how it works for you.

1.      One Day at a Time

This one is from Wayne Dyer. I love his work and was delighted when I came across his perspective on New Year’s Resolutions.

This is the time of year that many of us make resolutions, or rather, reinforce the notion of living in the future, when really, the important question to be asking yourself is “How am I going to use my present moments this year?” It is simply a matter of asking yourself at the beginning of the day, “How do I want to conduct my life today?” When you get good at living your present moments one day at a time, you’ll see yourself changing right before your own surprised eyes. Remember, anyone can do anything for just one day, so tune out the sentences that keep you locked into your old self-defeating ways and begin to enjoy each day of your bright new year.

2.      Set an Intention

Focusing in on what is important to you, visualise how you want your year to be, what outcome you want. Get as clear on your desired outcome as you can. For example, if your desired outcome is ‘optimum health’, ask ‘what does optimum health mean to me?’ Once you are clear on your intention, do the triple bottom line test:

• Is it good for you?
• Is it good for those around you?
• Is it good for the world at large?

If your intention does not pass this test, keep on adjusting and testing till it passes.

3.      Ask your Real Self

 Be prepared for surprising results! My results were ‘sing’ and ‘honour yourself.’

Get into a meditative state. Get comfortable, breathe deeply, relax and ask yourself: ‘What is one thing I want to create this year or bring into existence that I have not done before?‘ Then wait for the answer to come. Whatever comes up for you is good. Please don’t judge if nothing comes up or it is not clear. And if two voices pipe up, one loud and clear and the other soft and vague, ask for clarity on the vague message. The loud voice is typically your logical mind, ego and left brain clambering for attention. Tell it gently ‘thanks for sharing’ then pay attention to the soft voice.

Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish. For me, ‘sing’ was louder than ‘honour yourself.’ I deem the latter to be the more important message. If there is one you resist, that’s your cue for what needs attention.

4.      Stop- Start-Continue

This is a technique often used in work environments to gather input for performance appraisals.

You nominate a number of colleagues on three levels: above, below and on a par with yourself in the pecking order. Your manager approaches the nominees with the STOP- START- CONTINUE questions and collates the feedback for appraisal.

You can use the same technique by asking yourself:

• What do I wish to stop doing?
• What do I wish to start doing?
• What do I wish to continue doing more of?

If you are brave, you may want to ask friends and family what they recommend you stop doing, start doing and continue doing.

5.      Go for 4 X 4

Pick four areas in your life or at work where you feel attention is required. Rate the current state of each area on a scale of one to ten where one is as bad as it gets and ten is as good as it gets. Looking at each area in turn, ask yourself ‘What would it take to move this area one point closer to ten?’ Write down all the ideas and actions that come to mind.

Number the areas in the order you wish to work on them, focus and work one area at a time until all four are done. Commit to doing at least one action per week.When you’re done, rate each area again. You may find that although you aimed to increase a rating by one point, you may have achieved more.

Repeat this exercise until you are satisfied with the outcome in all four areas. Remember, it does not have to be a perfect ten. A six or seven may be enough to increase your overall satisfaction.

Bonus Tip: Which ever approach you choose, find a buddy to share what you doing, why and by when. Keep them updated with your progress so they can support you and help you celebrate your successes.

Have a fabulous year!

Photo Credit: Billy Alexander