New Year's resolutions

Did everyone make a New Year’s resolution? I always set a one word goal around this time of year, set for the year ahead. Because I am a business owner, my work life is completely integrated into my home life, and my resolutions always reflect that. For other people, their New Year’s resolution is completely personal, with no thought of work even coming into play.

I know many people who are still working on last year’s commitments. People are quick to say yes to things, and then back out! Others over commit and become exhausted because they left no personal time open.

January is a great time to reflect on what goals or resolutions are truly important. Does that last ten pounds really matter? The last thing we may be thinking about today is our next holiday booking, or managing our schedules and stress levels through 2011. But I think that is exactly what we should be thinking about. We should think about why we are working where we are and why we are in the relationships we are in. If our friends, families, and workplaces are working for us, then we should make an even bigger effort to improve them, making them even more positive and supportive. And if they are not working for us, we should make the decisions we have been putting off.

January is a time to come clean, to reevaluate our commitments, and be more relaxed and comfortable with our choices. If we plan to create work/life balance this year, perhaps looking at what this will take for each of us to achieve is an important step. In order to commit to a New Year’s resolution, we first need to discover what has worked for us in the past, and what has not! There is no point toasting to losing 50 pounds this year if we have been unable to ever lose five. We should choose something that gives us positive energy. If we don’t know what does that for us, we need to figure it out, and commit to it this year.

Last January, I committed to my readers that I would write a positive article each week, or at least put a positive spin on each and every one. I did that! It actually helped me and my company, About Staffing, as much as it helped my readers! I was positive and happy after I wrote each article. Being a downer affects everyone’s energy, so get positive! By the way, it is OK to change your resolution today to something better! Happy New Year everyone!