No More Resolutions: Living Life on a Purpose and a Plan
The start of a new year always fills us with hope and promise. We convince ourselves that a new year means a “new me” and we claim the incoming year to be ours.
We start the new year strong, driven by the adrenaline of our New Year’s resolution that we’re taking command of our health, relationships, career, and finances. However, something happens in a matter of days and weeks – we start to lose momentum. And before we know it, everything we promised the moment the ball dropped and confetti filled the air has been forgotten.
Maybe it’s time we rejected the idea of New Year’s resolutions and in its place, actively live a life that is purposeful and planned.
Let’s be honest, New Year’s resolutions are temporary and emotionally driven. And this is why we quickly lose sight of them. However, when you enforce the importance of finding purpose in your life and establishing a plan with short and long-term goals, you have a much higher chance of achieving success and fulfilling your purpose.
Living a Life of Purpose
While New Year’s resolutions have the best intentions, they force you to choose amongst a pre-set list of what people have come to universally accepted as the only way people can change for the better. Lose weight. Stop smoking. Eat healthy.
But for every person who has their unique beliefs and values, there is so much more to your growth and development than what is socially acknowledged as the definition of improvement. To bring clarity to your purpose and develop your plan, ask yourself:
What are your beliefs and values?
What are your priorities?
What are you passionate about?
When we reject the concept of New Year resolutions, we no longer have to feel the sting of defeat when we don’t achieve our goals within the time we promised ourselves. Because when you live a life that is purposeful, you don’t live calendar to calendar, but purposeful plan to plan.
You decide what is genuinely achievable based on what you believe to be right for you. You’re no longer guided by necessities but by your values. You remain steady because there is clarity of purpose on a path of your choosing. You are allowed to deviate from the plan because you are in control and no one else dictates your destination.
You are more likely to stay on your purposeful path and stick to the plan because you recognize and respect your efforts. Your plan involves the simple process of self-discovery of your basic needs. You choose your own level of complexities and define what personal development means to you, allowing goal setting to be more reachable and most importantly, realistic.
Dr. Yashima White Azilove
I am an international speaker, certified coach and skilled consultant with over 20 years of corporate brand communications executive experience in the media, entertainment, healthcare and financial service industries. I now use my expertise in brand communications to ELEVATE audiences, corporations, celebrity/talent and faith organizations.