I’m a believer in the value of not only selecting, but also pursuing New Year’s Resolutions and goals. Many of my close friends and family members disagree with me, thinking that New Year’s Resolutions are either a waste of time, and/or a failure in the making. How many times can you proclaim at the start of the each new year that you want to lose weight or quit smoking, only to abandon the effort three weeks later? Or maybe two weeks??

Perhaps the problem lies in our “quick fix” thinking, when really we should be implementing strategies that create and maintain sustainable lifestyle changes.

Or maybe we need to set resolutions that are just more fun to pursue? I think it is also quite helpful to use positive language in the goal setting.

In 2013, I set a resolution to read more. My goal was to finish at least one book per month. I noticed that I purchased a lot of books (I’m a book keeper at heart), and would read about 5-8 of them at a time, but would rarely finish any of them. I changed my focus from buying books and starting to read books, to actually completing books. And it worked. I tracked the results (which helped to motivate me throughout the year) and completed 15 books plus additional reading from 5 other books. I remember struggling around October, but kept pushing myself toward the goal line. One year later, I still buy more books that I can or do read, but I am much more aware of and am finishing more books than at any other time in my life (except college).

In 2014, I set a resolution to be more adventurous.  My goal was to have at least one adventure or travel experience per month. This was nicely timed, as my husband and I became empty nesters this year. We enjoyed thirty (30) new and different adventures this past year, including a bicycling holiday to Bordeaux, France, to celebrate my husband’s 50th birthday. The bicycle trip required advanced conditioning which meant we were frequently in the gym with a purpose! Moving into 2015, I am still thinking of new adventures that we can plan and/or spontaneously seize.

For 2015, I have thought long and hard about what my focus or Resolution should be. What’s important to me? What will help me grow the most in my personal and professional life? What goals should I focus on?

I was inspired by a book by Greg McKeown who wrote Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. It came highly recommended by my business coach, Mark LeBlanc. For me, this book was a cover-to-cover read, with many passages underlined. Mr McKeown skillfully contrasted the thinking and behavioral habits of Essentialists and Nonessentialists. Sadly, I could see myself in the description written in the latter column. You only have to go into my closet to see that I have been practicing the disciplined pursuit of more. Perhaps you can relate to that….?

In Chapter 8, Greg suggests that sleep is an important asset that we must all protect. So I have been practicing that. No more bragging about working crazy hours or pulling all-nighters. Our society rewards sleep deprivation, but Greg’s research shows that sleep deprivation damages our brain’s ability to function just like alcohol and drugs. That’s not healthy. Employers – Bosses: think more deeply about the long hours you are asking of your employees. You just might find it counterproductive to business health.

In Chapter 19, Greg tells the story of a high school rugby coach who led his team to twenty national championships over thirty-six years (and only 10 losses) – an outstanding record by any measure. The coach describes his success this way: “We always win.” …But he was actually referring to something more than his winning record. When he says, ‘win,’ he’s really using an acronym, referring to a single question that shows what he expects from his players:  “What’s important now?”

I’ve been asking myself the same question many times each day, “What’s important now?”  I want to win, too.

I  started my practice of Essentialism during the last month of December. For the first time in over 4 years, I purposefully decided not to issue my weekly newsletter during the last two weeks of the year. I questioned my old thinking, “Just because I’ve been doing it without fail for four years doesn’t mean that it is essential.”

I hate breaking records, like the time when I was 12 years old and attempted to only eat chocolate mint chip ice cream every time we visited Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors for the entire year. My record was going strong, until the sad day when the local store ran out of that flavor. I weakened and ate chocolate chip (close, but not the same). That day I discovered that there were thirty other wonderful flavors that I had been missing out on. Had my goal been a nonessential one all along?

To help me discern between the essential and the nonessential (or the vital and the trivial, as Greg puts it), I created a grid template to separate Needs from Wants, and to separate the Essential (or vital), from the Nonessential (the trivial). It was an eye-opening exercise, and one that warrants further reflection. You are welcome to print this simple template and use it to open up your own mind to what matters most in your life right now. Download the GRID – What matters most in my life

More on Essentialism from author Greg McKeown

Greg posted a blog on New Year’s Day that provides a good overview of why Essentialism makes so much sense. – http://gregmckeown.com/blog/the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less-harvard-business-review/

Watch Greg’s YouTube video on the what and why Essentialism matters today.

Resolve to be a better you in 2015
Spend some quiet moments considering how you want your 2015 to be. Pick a theme, choose a focus, set an intention, or declare a New Year’s Resolution. Give it more power by writing it down and sharing it with others. Essentially, I wish you a better year, and an even better you!