304. The 6 Most Important Resolutions To Resolve Your Resolutions
Resolutions aren't just about New Year's. In fact, the entire concept of New Year's is a sham. It's time you understood the truth behind resolving your resolutions.
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In 2000 BC, our ancient Babylonian brethren celebrated the beginning of each year’s harvest season with a festival known as Akitu, which has absolutely nothing to do with praying to an Akita dog, though I wish it did because it’d make a great story.
Anyway, during Akitu-not-Akita, the Babylonians danced and drank and had parades and stuff. More importantly, they resolved to pay off their outstanding debts and return any items they had borrowed, before planting the new crops.
Little did they know that these Babylonian rites would be recognized as the invention of New Year’s resolutions (and the New Year’s Eve celebration).
Fast forward 4,000 years, and we now maintain our ancestor’s traditions by getting drunk, counting backward from ten, and joining a gym (only to cancel our membership a few months later.)
I’m not sure they’d be proud of us, but here we are anyway.
Caesar’s Calendar Shenanigans
There’s no real reason for January 1st to be on January 1st. It’s an arbitrary date that was created by Julius Caesar.
It’s his fault.
[Editors Note: isn’t it always]
You see, the Babylonians were purposeful. They celebrated the new year on the Spring Equinox (what is now known as “March 20th”). That celestial event is the transition point to more sunlight and greater warmth. It is the beginning of the harvest season.
There is no astral reason or greater Godly purpose for Caesar to start the calendar three months earlier. The only reason January 1st is currently on January 1st is because Julius and the Romans, in all their narcissistic glory, decided that the world should reset on the day that their senators start their jobs.
We now celebrate New Year’s as if the day actually means something.
It doesn’t.
Our modern resolutions aren’t any better.
The Bastardizing of New Year’s Resolutions
The Babylonians did things right. They started with purpose: all activity was focused on the beginning of the harvest season.
They tied up loose ends by paying off debts and returning the shit they borrowed the year before. Their goal was to clean the slate and ensure they were all simpatico in the eyes of the Gods.
In comparison, our modern resolutions seem more like a bunch of self-centered drivel that mostly comes down to:
Exercise more
Lose weight
Eat healthier
Make more money
There’s an important lesson to learn in all of this. The lesson starts with the Babylonians but extends all the way through the ages and knocks on the door to your self-awareness.
You may want to sit down for this one.
The Weakness With Your Resolutions Is You
According to a US News report, a whopping 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February.
That’s a whole lot of failure.
Imagine failing at 80% of what you promised to accomplish at work.
You’d be fired.
If a salesperson only hit 20% of their goal, they’d be gone faster than you can say “New Year’s Day hangover.”
Your resolutions are only as good as your commitment to see them through - even when it’s challenging to do so.
Especially when it’s challenging to do so.
Your resolutions are as weak - or as strong - as your intentions to resolve them.
If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not just talking about New Year’s resolutions. I’m talking about leadership. I’m talking about growth.
I’m talking about your life. Your success.
I’m talking about turning you into a highly productive person who motivates highly productive teams.
It turns out that there are six steps you need to know to do this. Only six steps towards achieving your goals. If you do these six steps, they will change your life.
They’ve changed mine.
If you don’t do them, nothing will change.
80% of you reading this won’t change a thing.
The other 20% will recognize the tweaks you need to make in order to (proverbially) climb higher than you’ve ever (proverbially) climbed before.
So without further ado, here they are:
The 6 Important Resolutions To Resolve Your Resolutions.
Resolution #1: Be Committed
A goal is only important to make if you are committed to following a plan to achieve it. If you are not mentally and emotionally committed to achieving that goal, I guarantee that you will fail.
If you’re unable to get past this step, none of the other stuff matters. You might as well cancel your goal now.
Resolution #2: Create A Plan
Congratulations, you’re mentally and emotionally committed to achieving your goal. That’s a start.
But like what was written on that poster in your college dorm room: "A goal without a plan is just a dream."
Most resolutions fail because there isn’t a plan.
Most goals aren’t achieved because there isn’t a plan.
Here is what people who fail say:
“I just joined a gym. I’m going to get fit this year.”
Here is what is said by people who succeed:
“I just joined a gym and I am committed to showing up at 7am on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of every week, whether I feel like going or not. I’ve time blocked it on my calendar for the year and by the end of today I will have put together a specific training plan for me to follow that will allow me to achieve my goals by May 31.”
In business, we call these SMART goals.
Keep in mind, even the Babylonians weren’t vague in their goal setting. They didn’t say: “I resolve to lower my credit card bills at some point this year.”
[Editors Note: Babylonian credit cards, eh?]
Instead, their resolutions had clear and concise plans: “I’m going to pay back and give back everything I owe and I am doing it today”.
Then they did it.
Resolution resolved.
Without a clear plan and consistent behavior, you and your team simply aren’t going to hit your goals. Period. Full stop.
Resolution #3: Self-Reflect
You’ve committed and you’ve created a plan, I’m proud of you. But before you take another step, it’s important to start with a wee bit of self-reflection.
Where have you (and/or your team) failed with your goals in the past
What is it about you that caused that failure?
How are you going to remain conscious of and overcome that frailty this time around?
The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.
What I mean is that you are guaranteed to repeat the same behaviors of the past unless you raise your level of self-awareness and consciously try to correct it.
So start raising and correcting.
Resolution #4: Accountability
Achieving your goals - and improving your team’s productivity - is all about accountability.
Accountability is all about empowerment.
In fact, if you want to master accountability, you should take this course on how to 10x Your Teams Productivity. It will change your life.
Resolution #5: Big Changes Take Small Steps
The Babylonians set their resolution bar pretty low (pay back my debts, return the borrowed stuff, do it all now). That’s how they succeeded.
Most of us, however, set big goals and feel defeated when our actions don’t match the ambitiousness of the expectation.
“I’ll lose 50 pounds by March” or “I’ll never eat fried food again” is all nice and fine until life tosses out a challenge or two and you just call it quits.
To achieve big goals you must take small steps.
One step at a time.
One day at a time.
There is always something worth celebrating.
Success isn’t just reaching the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Success can be found in every effort to climb every rung of that rainbow.
Assuming, of course, that rainbows have rungs, which I can neither confirm nor deny.
Resolution #6: It Takes A Village. Or People. Or Village People.
It’s hard to live life alone. Accomplishment comes through the support of others.
Are you delegating effectively?
Are you getting the support you need, whether it’s from teamwork, mentorship or celebratory cheers?
Are you working with your team to create collective goals? Are you supporting your team members in achieving their individual goals?
Today Is As Good A Day As Any
Caesar tried to make us believe that January 1st marks the promise of a new beginning. Don’t listen to Caesar. He’s weird, he’s narcissistic and he dresses funny.
Every day of the year is an opportunity for a small step forward. And every small step forward brings you closer to achieving your bigger goals.
The best leaders don’t wait for a new year to start setting goals, reflecting on their behaviors and holding themselves accountable - they do it every day.
Today is as good of a day as any to prove to yourself (and your team) that you have the grit to follow through. So grit up, my friend.
Whether you’re channeling your inner Babylonian and giving back that borrowed Tupperware, or transforming your team into a highly productive unit, the same rules apply: commitment, clarity, accountability, and the dedication to get back on track when things go sideways.
Remember, success isn’t about setting resolutions - it’s about resolving to resolve them.
Now is the time to start being the new you.
The Babylonians are watching.
I quickly transform teams into high-performing, collaborative units.
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