It's all about the Routine. (aka my resolution)

If each of us looks to better our situation in 2010, you'll find yourself pondering this thought, "What intentional change can I push forward that will deliver the best results?" With all the traditions of the season behind us, this is a good time of year to make a break from the normal and try something different. People have asked me,"What's your New Year's Resolution?" What promise will I make to myself to improve?   This promise or "resolution" is a neat thing to talk about, and a difficult thing to adhere to as the beginning weeks of the year wind on. Maybe I'm thrown by the wording, I haven't been a big believer in resolutions because I've seen so many folks bail out on theirs, it doesn't look like anything I'd want to happen to me.  I'm not afraid to change or commit to others I'll change, it's this idea of upheaval that I feel cripples most attempts at making good on a resolution, New Years or not. I think the "R" word I like best regarding change would be "Routine," because in its simplest form, isn't that what each of us is looking to work on?  One would either look to start a new routine, bring an undesirable one to an end, or change one that's already in place.  Does this sound familiar? Look closely...

• The new gym membership, starting a new tradition with relatives, a commitment to better eating and/or health, these are the new routines some may look to engage.
• An end to texting while driving, nicorette or smoking cessation tactic or pledge to dump the workplace candy habit would all look to stop a routine that does not fall in line with a desired end result.
• Less petty disagreements with your friends, more personal marketing in my business, increasing one's volunteer activities or adding a new spin to something you're doing already is an example of changing your routine.

Call me nuts but I'd dub the most successful efforts as being those that involve... changing something that's already part of your routine.  If you already have some momentum going, add more steam to the engine and it will go further and faster.  THIS COUNTS! I notice too many people going for the "all or nothing" approach, attempting to "shoehorn" something new and alien into their set schedule.  It usually does not get adopted as routine, and eventually falls off the list of one's regular happenings.  Same holds true with dashing items off your normal schedule - quitting something outright is a tough challenge.  Why not peel pieces off gradually as part of the routine, yielding the goal over a specified and measureable period of time? You didn't gain the extra weight in 4 months, how can you try to lose it and keep it off that rapidly?  (Just as an example.)  If you shed 5 lbs a month and maintained the loss through dietary and exercise changes, wouldn't that be fantastic, noticeable and positive? The change and improvement would be happening and become part of your everyday system. This I can do!

To clarify - In no terms am I discouraging huge leaps forward in personal progress. If you have the willpower, need or desire to blast into something better for yourself - GO THERE! Start something from scratch. Quit something and never go back.  I'm simply using experience as a guide. It is easier to alter your doings than it is to create or destroy a routine.  Enough of this altering over time will deliver long term results that coincide with long term goals. Do you really care how you get there?  Most say, "No, I'd just be tickled to arrive!"  There's a new formula you can use for yourself - improving something you already do, witnessing it work, and repeating the process again and again.  Make that your routine in 2010... That's my resolution.

-dm