As we wind down the last week of the year, we often think of our resolutions for the next. Yes, I have plenty of resolutions and goals for the upcoming months. However, I am going to try something different this year. I am going to add a few Non-Resolution.
Yesterday, I was out running and listening to What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith. He talked about how people rarely talk about the things they stop doing, just the things they do. For example, how often do we hear salesmen crowing about the deal they backed off from when it became unprofitable for the company? It was certainly the successful and right behavior. It just isn’t as exciting to talk about.
I have noticed I tend to over commit myself. I will try to start doing twenty things new in my life, only to fail because there isn’t room for twenty new habits. Do habits require room? Absolutely. Time is the obvious lacking component in most, but there are other aspects as well. New habits can require money, physical space and mental capacity as well. Adding a new habit to your life should be carefully thought through for all the side effects. Will a new supreme home gym require more space than your home can provide? If it ends up displacing the car in the garage, will it used enough to justify its purchase price?
I’m not trying to discourage new habits. I want to bring home the point we need to stop doing some things as well. For example, if I am going to commit to writing the Great American Novel, I have to carve out time in my schedule to make it happen. Something has to give. Therefore, a New Years Non-Resolution may look like “Eliminate one hour of television watching per day” or “Give up World of Warcraft.”
Beware. Stopping a habit is just as difficult as starting a new one. Ask any smoker trying to quit. I have a friend that told me for years he was giving up online gaming. He made several attempts and kept going back. I think he has finally sworn off, but it has been very difficult. Habits are addictive. Getting addicted to a new habit is easier if we are also eliminating an old one, as the void wants to be filled by something.
A few years ago, I was finishing up my degree at night. Every night was filled with homework projects of one kind or another. As I neared the end, I realized I needed to have a new challenge to fill that time void or it would become filled with something less desirable, like television. I signed up for piano lessons to give me something with which to fill the free time. It worked. I did not fall back into a habit of time wasters.
So this week, as you are looking at your resolutions, don’t forget to make a few non-resolutions. Make some space for the things you want to do by eliminating some of the old. Turn over the space to the new habits and give them a chance and space to live and grow.
What are some of the non-resolutions you are considering? Care to share them? Let’s help each other come up with ideas. Please post your non-resolution in the comments.
