This was a turbulent year for so many people, and for the world in general. Although we can always find gratitude in our lives, there are times when searching for gratitude doesn’t come as easily as one would hope. Sometimes knowing the year is over is what makes one grateful, and that is perfectly good enough.
There is joy in endings, because it means new beginnings. And so to end the year, I wanted to create some hope for next year as a year of new beginnings. Let’s commit to a refresh of energy and motivation, and to seeing the changes you wish to make.
It is at this time of the year that resolutions are made, and then many may be broken! Resolutions are a cultural tradition, laced with celebration, fantastic intentions and a glimmer of hope as the clock strikes midnight that the next year will be the ONE when the weight falls off, the new job lands in your lap, you become truly happy, the kids get into the best schools and onto the best teams and your work performance soars.
If you are worried you won’t stick to your plan, please know that this is normal. Resolutions created in this context do not normally stick, and that’s okay. It’s okay because you enjoyed the process of sharing them with your friends and family, and toasting to them when the ball dropped. You felt happy and hopeful, and there is much benefit to these cultural practices that are unrelated to whether or not you have successfully implemented your resolutions thus far.
To create a twist on the New Year’s resolution, and to turn the often-boring-process of goal setting into something more interesting, I am inviting you to join me in committing to “10 Dreams for This New Year.”
This is my way of creating a fun, bold Bucket List. This is meant to be a free-flow, unedited list of all that you wish for yourself next year.
When brainstorming this list, here is the question:
“What will I do this year to become the person I want to be at the end of this year?”
There is no right or wrong, easy or hard, to these “10 Dreams”. These can range from deeply personal shifts to outings with your family. They can be business and personal, fun and serious. You can create one for yourself and one with your family. Your children or spouse may surprise you with their thoughts and dreams.
There is great power in writing things down: you will actually remember these dreams and be reminded to get going (put the list somewhere you will see it regularly), you increase your personal accountability for them, you will put a plan in place to achieve them, and there is more pleasure in completing them. Be as specific as you can, and understand how they tie in to your own life and your own values.
Imagine the toast you will have at the end of this year, knowing you lived your list of dreams. You’ll proudly ring in the new year, embracing another list of dreams, while whole-heartedly counting down the seconds and sharing your resolutions alongside everyone else. Give it a shot and see what happens.
Send me a note to access your copy of “10 Dreams for This New Year.”