New Year’s resolutions?

Another question for you: what are your New Year’s resolutions?

Mine? Just keep on keeping on because New Year’s resolutions are bad for you.

How contrarian! I know it’s popular to goal set and get clarity of mission and purpose. It’s seen as crucial to achieving more in life and feeling satisfied…which is why we all rush to do this the moment Jools Holland strikes up his band at midnight, on the last day of the year.

And it’s why the newspapers are full of it – don’t forget, it’s the New Year, so you need a new you!

Bah!

I had an awful experience of running hard at the wall of resolutions, in January 2014, when I was starting out as a professional speaker.

I’d mistakenly read too many blogs and social media posts about ‘The Top 5 Ways to be the Best You Can Be’ and ‘What Successful CEOs Do Before They Get to the Office’ (which is apparently a regime of a 4am alarm, doing all their emails, gym, juicing and breakfast meetings) – and I was suckered into the whole concept that my success would come if I just followed suit.

Nah!

Two weeks into this regime of getting up at 4am, doing all my emails, gym, juicing and breakfast meetings, I fell into a stupor of exhaustion and a horribly low mood. It took weeks to get back to being myself, because I’d pushed it too far. If only I’d just kept on keeping on!

I now realise, and accept, that I’m not a morning person. I can’t get going before 10am. Never have, never will.

January is certainly not the time to be challenging yourself with new-fangled ideas and behaviours. Sure, set goals, but do it in Spring. Because baby, it’s cold outside.

Rather, look back at what you were good at, what you enjoyed, and do more of that. Calmly, confidently.