Foundation of Resolve

The other day I started to make a recipe from a cookbook I love - Oh She Glows, by Angela Liddon. I had thought about this recipe while in the grocery store the day before but I wasn't 100 percent confident what kind of nuts it required or how much. None the less, I arrived home with some pecans and the intention to make the chocolate espresso torte. Turns out it called for hazelnuts, not pecans. Undeterred, I went forward and pulled the items together. This concoction is now sitting in my freezer awaiting judgement.

Photo by Paul Skorupskas on Unsplash

It might be alright, but then again, it might not. If not, I wasted lots of chocolate, nuts, and time which could have been avoided if I had only done a little homework on the preparation side. This rule of thumb is a good one to follow when it comes to resolutions and planned changes for a "better you" in 2025. First, let's agree that you are enough at the starting point, but for where you wish to go, you will need to apply some effort.

A needs assessment is the first step in any project plan. Finding out where you are starting is essential to ensuring you can get to where you want to go and how long it might take you, not to mention the flavours you may encounter along the way. Specifically, what you need to know depends on the goal. If you have been reading along with previous posts and you know what gives you sense of purpose, and you know that the intention behind the purpose you have chosen is coming from a place of positivity, then you are off to a great start when it comes to conducting the needs assessment. 

That said, the following needs assessment questions are a great place to start. 

1. What are my strengths, skills, and/or supports as I pursue this goal?
2. What are the areas of challenges or weaknesses for me in the pursuit of this goal?
3. ​How much time and what frequency can I commit to work on this goal?
4. What are some potential unexpected events or upsets which could shake my confidence?
5. What are some potential unexpected events which could block my action?

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

Let's say the resolution is to be conducting work or volunteering in the capacity which provides you with fulfillment. When you ask what your strengths are, consider how prepared you are to walk into a volunteer or paid role to provide the service. You determine you want to be a routesetter or a climbing coach, what skills do you already possess which make you a candidate for the role?Similarly, what are the skills or experience you lack? This may be some pretty tangible things like you have done no formal training in this area. Or it could be that your level of performance is limited. Note these observations in a written list and note the possibilities for overcoming any items you believe you are lacking. 

Next, and this is very important, consider how much time and at what frequency you can work on these limits and develop skills and experience. Be realistic. There is always the ideal and then there is reality. If you establish expectations which are too idealistic you will increase the chance you will begin to fail and once you experience some challenge or disappointment, it becomes much harder to reignite the motivation. Jim Collins in his book, Good to Great, refers to the flywheel analogy. When you begin to push on a flywheel, it takes a lot of effort to get it spinning. Once it is in motion, it requires a lot less effort to keep it in motion. This is what you want for your plan... the expectation that you can put in the effort required to get it going, and then as it requires less effort you can apply some access energy to another element of your plan.

Humans are creatures of habit. The brain loves to repeat actions we are comfortable with. Notice whether you tend to use the same pattern when you brush your teeth with the brush going to the same quadrant of your mouth, followed by a natural move to the next quadrant. Try to switch and notice how it breeds confusion, or a sense of "that's not right." Whatever action your plan will involve needs time to become a habit. Making that habit easy to achieve is key to success. Consistency is essential. You brush your teeth every day and because it is a daily ritual, it becomes engrained easily and feels odd if you cannot brush your teeth. Consistency of effort toward improvement makes the habit develop more quickly, resulting in it taking less effort to sustain.

Photo by LOGAN WEAVER | @LGNWVR on Unsplash

This means creating some type of schedule of frequency and commitment. If I want to run a 31 km race, the frequency of putting running into a schedule of execution will make it much easier to force myself out for a run. Without the consistency of effort, it is also much harder to measure improvement. Improvement is part of the inspiration which keeps me going. 

What if the change you want to make means stopping a behaviour?
Replace the behaviour you want to stop with a new action.
​You want to stop eating fries, replace the fries with a salad or healthier version of potatoes. What to stop getting angry and too abrupt; replace the need to be right with watching the breath. You want to stop watching Netflix, replace the habit with a walk or a meditation. 

Essential to continued success is success. 
Now it is time to put measurements for success into this equation. You will note, I have not used the infamous SMART goal description in all of this resolution setting. I do agree it is important to know where you want to go and to have some tool for knowing you have been successful. However, success and fulfillment is a feeling, not a number. If you take a moment to consider how you felt when your life had meaning, it is often not something which can be measured easily. Visualize yourself feeling the feeling of fulfillment and the events which made it possible. For me, when I see someone suddenly know that they can do something they once thought was impossible, and I helped them see it, that is the greatest feeling of fulfillment. To write a goal that states people have aha moments as a result of my help would be contingent on things way outside my control and it is not specific enough. My vision in my mind of my role in providing the experience is the guide to writing a smart goal like I have successfully completed the delivery of a weekly mentorship program for coaches, delivered to ten participants who now feel better prepared to coach. It is through the mentorship that I get the feeling of fulfillment. The goal is tangible. The feeling stems from the successful implementation of the goal. 

With a goal which sets me up to have the fulfillment experience, I now can identify all the ducks I need to put in a row to make the goal a reality. I need to find an audience. I need to figure out the platform. I need to design the program. I need to market the program. I need to fill the seats. Each of these objectives will assist me to get where I am going. These are each the continuous successes which enable me to stay the course toward the goal.

When times get hard, you need the VISION. The visualization of you experiencing the success makes it possible to your mind when things get hard. Embody as many of the senses as you can in the vision of fulfillment. Practice the vision everyday. 

Visualization is not enough. You must also consider what are some unexpected things which may get in the way. For example, in my work, I sometimes need to travel. Travelling can really throw my schedule out the window. I need to plan for these events AND plan to give myself a brief respite or recovery period from the execution of my plan OR I need to shift the plan to incorporate the travel disruption. Whether the event that gets in the way prevents you from practicing or merely plays on your level of confidence, it is helpful to have a plan for how you may handle it. You would not plan an expedition to a mountain peak and not plan for inclement weather... at least hope you would not. Have a plan for how you will handle the things that may side track you. You do not hit one of your objectives as planned. Now what?

One of the best supports to success can be a person who is your cheerleader. When things get tough it can be the best option to reach out to the cheerleader to let you listen to yourself figure out what is the next best step for you. This is why people have coaches... the coach is trained to listen and reflect back what the person needs to hear. 

Things never do go according to plan. Adaptability should be part of the plan. Never expected to be a climbing coach. What started as a research project for me turned into a career coaching clients and writing articles and books. These things could only happen because I was willing to change my mind about where I would be and what I would do. Be open to what comes. Allow it to change you if it takes you where you will feel fulfilled. 

So... staying motivated is key. In the upcoming post, learn some strategies to keep you going. And comment to let us know how it is going.