A new year brings optimism and an opportunity to do and achieve more than experienced before. Turning the calendar to January symbolically gives us a clean slate that we can take advantage of to grow and move forward. And many of us do… for a while. Good intentions, often taking the form of New Year’s resolutions, orient us toward personal growth. Unfortunately, those plans get derailed for a variety of reasons, and we lose sight of the growth milestones we envisioned at the beginning of the year. What will it take to break this pattern?
Pick a Theme
The notion of New Year’s resolutions is increasingly giving way to another approach to pursuing personal growth: Focus on a single word or idea that will guide your thoughts, decisions, and actions. For me, my focus for this year relates to Emerson’s quote about making every day the best day of the year. I resolve to live today and do what I need to do to “win today.” Setting goals or making resolutions is pointless if one does not commit to the daily actions required to get to the destination. One of my weaknesses is follow through on plans. I know what needs to be done but too often fail to make it happen. So, my focus is on doing what I need to do to win today, realizing that a series of daily wins will move me closer to reaching bigger growth goals.
Know What Gets in the Way
A focus word or theme is a great starting point for achieving personal growth, but obstacles will appear that threaten personal growth. Some of these obstacles are external, put in our path by others. Yet other obstacles are internal as we unwittingly sabotage our plans. Recognizing the obstacles can help you deal with them and minimize their threat:
Others’ agendas– An external threat to winning today occurs when others attempt to draw you into their plans as a means to achieving their desired end. You can become conflicted between helping others to add value for them and becoming involved to the point that it takes away from pursuit of your own end. Sometimes, saying no to others is saying yes to our own growth.
Fear of failure- Perhaps the greatest internal obstacle to growth is not following through on daily actions because we are afraid of what the outcome of our efforts will be. If I write the paper I have been working on for two years and submit it to a journal, will it be rejected (odds are yes as the acceptance rate for many journals is relatively low)? So, if I divert my attention and time to other tasks my paper will not be rejected. It will never have a chance to be published, either, but avoidance of rejection can feel better than swinging and missing.
Fear of success- This obstacle may sound crazy because the aim is to succeed, right? But, what if the success desired puts you in a different place whether it is in a job with more responsibility, a new peer group, or higher tax bracket? Those different places may push you out of a comfort zone. Just like fear of failure can keep us “safe” by not trying, fear of success can hinder our growth by choosing to remain status quo.
Every Day is the Best Day
What beautiful words from Emerson, the thought that every day is the best day. We have been given 366 best days in 2016. Although planning ahead is necessary to chart a course for what we want to be, do, or have, do not lose sight of he daily journey taken to get there.
