New Year Resolutions?

Why Making A New Year’s Resolution Rarely Produces Results?

A resolution could be an act of leadership but unless the ‘ACTION’ is taken, it is simply some words repeated at the end of a year. What if our resolutions became our ‘DECLARATIONS’?

First let me speak to what I mean by a declaration. When we declare something, we need to have some authority to have it be meaningful. As an example, when two people marry, unless there is a person who is authorized to pronounce the marriage, it just isn’t so. Once the declaration of marriage is made, then you are in for the long run. Unless you choose to get a divorce, which by the way is also a declaration!

A declaration is a choice that is made with authenticity and commitment and not an assessment about what we should or should not do. It is not some wishful statement!

A declaration doesn’t describe action; it creates a context that gives us the power to envision a different future. It is in fact a predisposition to a new reality in the world. It is called taking a stand for a new possibility.

So why is it that making a New Year’s resolution rarely produces results?

Consider that th skills of a leader are needed and required in order to produce unprecedented results. What if our resolutions were declarations? It would take some skills to fulfill on them.  Here are some ideas of leadership skills that may be part of our declarations for the New Year.

• Building respect, relationships and trust
• Enrolling others in possibilities
• Committed speaking and listening
• Coaching and empowering others
• Taking a powerful stand for the future

“We have not examined the nature of action decisively enough.  We believe that action is about producing results and then we modify the action based on what we think about the results.  If we like the result we repeat the action and if not, we attempt to change the action.  But this is not action.  This is a definition of reaction, where everything we are doing is in response to something we have already done.  The essence of action is not to produce results, but to fulfill or manifest some commitment to accomplish something — to bring into existence what has already been created as a possibility”.  Martin Heidegger