Resolutions

My typical New Year's resolution has been to not make New Year's resolutions. (I know, basically a cop out, but pretty easy to keep). This year is different and I've made a few:

1) Do Things Differently

To be fair, this isn't exactly "new", so it should be "Continue to ..."

One thing spending almost a year involuntarily unemployed gives you is plenty of time to contemplate how and where things went off the rails. (Maybe being laid off was completely beyond my control, but that's too scary to contemplate). After some thought I came up with some basic shifts in perspective I think are important to my future success.

a) Mind your own business; yes, it's easier and frequently more fun to mind other people's but resist the urge to fiddle with anything and everything that crosses your path; focus on your own responsibilities. Chances are you've got room for improvement right in front of you.

b) Pick your battles with care but balance flexibility with fairness...to yourself. Resist the urge to go along to get along - not everyone appreciates a level playing field. There is a balance between prima donna and door mat.

c) Keep emotions in check and never REact. Act only after careful and cool deliberation and ask two questions; will this matter tomorrow (or next week) and can I, realistically, affect a positive change. If so, then act with conviction and commitment. If not, shut mouth and move on.

d) Recognize that the easy and comfortable answer is rarely the right one - Cowboy Up. Push through the fear of failure...and of success. Take a chance.

2) Be Healthier - nothing new there, but instead of focusing on losing weight and what I'm not going to eat, I'm choosing to focus my fitness routine on specific goals (i.e. prepare for February's ski trip) and my diet on what I should be eating (i.e. January's goal at least one veggie, every day and tomato sauce doesn't count) rather than obsessing over calories and "forbidden" foods.

3) Fight the old Procrastination Monster (found a great book on this subject, but that's a post of all it's own)

4) Do One Thing At A Time - this may be the hardest one of all, especially given my new Twitter addiction, but while I do believe the ability to shift gears on a dime, when necessary, is important, I don't thinking "multi-tasking" is all that productive.

Bring on 2010!