Did you make any resolutions for the year? It’s been reported that 65% of Americans make a New Year’s resolution[1]. Resolving to start fresh and better yourself is great, but it seems that most of us struggle with the follow through. That same report found that 9.2% of those people who made resolutions will follow through and 80% of resolutions fail by February[2]. Which means we’re nearing the end of the road for so many who set out to make change happen in this new year!
Now, I am certainly no expert on making radical resolutions, or sticking to them every year if we’re being honest. But really, why do so many resolutions fail? Could be that whole “fear of change” topic we’ve discussed before. Or, maybe it has more to do with the size and scope of the resolutions we set.
When thinking about resolutions I can’t help but think of that fantastic episode with our beloved group of Friends entitled, “The One with All the Resolutions.” You know, the one where Ross resolves to do one thing each day that he’s never done before, Monica resolves to take more pictures, Joey commits to learning to play the guitar, Rachel tries to stop gossiping, Phoebe vows to pilot a commercial jet and Chandler accepts a bet that he can’t go even one week without making fun of his friends.
While some of these resolutions seem like they are realistic, others were doomed from the get-go. Either way, it was laugh-out-loud funny watching their demise unfold. Ross’ hilarious and embarrassing situation when he decides to wear black leather pants on a date?! He thought that doing one new thing every day would make him happier and more exciting. But in the end, it just made him overheat and literally lose his pants. Perhaps a bit too ambitious, too early in the game!
Meanwhile, Rachel can’t take not gossiping and justifies a loophole in order to share her juicy secret with Joey (which totally sounds like something I would do – finding the loophole that is). However, I think my favorite one of all is Chandler’s very, very short-term attempt to not make jokes. While he was really more coerced into his resolution, it’s such a departure from what made Chandler Bing Chandler Bing and the whole thing turned out to be just too much for him. Not only did he break, but he did so with a binge session of insults to make up for his temporary silence.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to setting New Year’s Resolutions, whether they are personal, work-related or a little of both. There’s also nothing wrong with wanting to make change happen – even if it is small or ends up being more short-term than you originally intended. The way I see it, even baby steps are better than standing still. And we know from experience that great change doesn’t happen overnight.
If your goals are more personal, I’m afraid the most I can do is send you my best wishes. But, if you find yourself setting out to work on your business this year, I can shed some light on that topic. If you think about it… regardless of whether you’re setting goals for yourself or goals for your business, the same could hold true. The best place to start is from within. Discover what’s working, what’s not working, where is there opportunity to improve, what challenges exist? Your brand will never be what you want people to see it as until you and your people believe it and live it, both inside your organization and in what and how you tell the outside world.
So, when it comes to setting resolutions – for you or for your business – are you a Monica, a Ross or more of a Chandler? Do you try something completely out of character or do you consistently move forward one day at a time by setting more realistic goals? And how’s it going as February approaches?
Remember – any change and every step forward, whether big or small, is better than standing still. And, if this happens to be your year for business growth, building a brand or rebranding, then let’s chat. We’ll help you start fresh. Inside and out.
1 WalletHub.com – https://wallethub.com/blog/new-year-facts/29706/
2 WalletHub.com – https://wallethub.com/blog/new-year-facts/29706/