New Year Resolutions
For many years I tried to resist New Year’s Resolutions – after all, we know most resolutions
don’t work after the first 2 weeks, or maybe after the first month. But ever since I moved to the US, I am starting to embrace the goal setting culture. For several years in a row I have ‘healthy food and life style’ on the top of my new year resolution list. The former ‘village girl’ in me is slightly critical about it. Healthy-food is not on the new year resolution list of my old-neighbors in Camena, the Romanian village I grew-up in, it’s just ’food’ full stop. My short visit to my village ten days ago helped me keep that in perspective. But, I digress… New Year resolutions.
I might resist NY resolutions but I actually love plans, goals and dreams. I get excited about the opportunity to dream and to question life in general.
On December 31st morning I spent an extra one and a half of hour in bed, but while still in bed I grabed a pen and paper and I captured my Monthly highs & lows based on my weekly calendar.
Such a refreshing and uplifting task to do while you are still in your PJ and not taking yourself too seriously. It’s best to Keep it light.
I’m a little late to the party, but here are my new year intentions and words, based on a thorough analysis of my last year weekly calendar of events and activities.
In a world of short-term thinking, where we rarely get enough time to think long-term, the arrival of the new year can be a refreshing event, reminding us to think about where we want to go in our life and who we want to become.
Beyond resolutions, there are other techniques we can use. I’m a huge fan of the technique to scrutinize your calendar and retrospectively analyze what you considered a great use of your time, and what felt as a short- term distraction.
Another tool to set the intentions for the year is the technique popularized by the author Chris Brogan. It is about using three words. Some people like to pick just one, I like to expand. My words for this coming year are: Healthy (4 years in a row), Focused, and Creative.
Most New Year’s Resolutions probably revolve around health in one way or another – my sporty husband decided to swap running with muscle building exercise in the gym. The only issue is that he actually hates going to the gym, but hey…he used to hate running too and he now does it every other day. Never say never.
To me being Healthy this year means getting better at flexibility and strength through pilates and yoga. For the second year in the row, I started the 30-day Yoga Flow challenge initiated by my friend Inge, who’s also a member of my Mothers as Leaders Lab (a intimate Mastermind group I run for my PQ Alumni community since 2021).
For “Focused,” it’s about both being more deliberate about what I choose to take on, and being less distracted (often when) when I see entertaining events and people who might need my help. As a chronic extrovert, I suffer from F.O.M.O. (fear of missing out). I just need to remind myself that the world will still be there, I don’t need to join every activity and event.
This year, it is about staying focused on delivering the Systemic Team Coaching certificate program end of January. As a local host I want to make sure that the 30 participants maximize their learning.
And for “Creativity”- of course that means allowing me to spend more time writing, creating new content and new coaching products. I get some many insights from coaching senior leaders, mothers, fathers, their families and leadership teams.
This year, that means organizing my first parent & daughter Positive Intelligence group coaching program. We are starting with a full group on January 9. It is my first program for families, in the spirit of my new upcoming book Families as teams.
When it comes to creativity, we have to start asking ourselves – very quickly – what’s going to remain valuable in our work, post-ChatGPT and generative AI. Full scale change won’t come tomorrow, but it’s coming. In the next five years, AI is going to change most of what we do as professionals and leadership coaches.
So we have to ask ourselves: what still has value? What can we legitimately offer to others that’s worth paying for in a world where a $20 per month Chatgpt subscription can give you insightful analysis and materials?
The answer for me – is in :’ True Inspiration, Strong Community and Coaching the Connection’. Bringing people together and creating the magic experiential environment for them to grow, learn and build friendship or collaborations that never would have been possible otherwise.
That’s what I’m looking forward to this year.
And whether you’re a fan of “New Year’s Resolutions” or not, I hope you’ll take up the opportunity to dream and to set some long-term intentions for yourself and for your small family.
Who knows where we will end- up in a year from now. You can’t control faith, but by making small changes in your habits, you might be able to change your behaviors and why not,
if you keep working on yourself, you can shape your destiny.
Warm regards,
Steliana
PS – If you haven’t had a chance to read my book Mothers as leaders yet the new year is an excellent time to get it and dive in!