Time to Plan Your Resolution Revolution

Thanksgiving ushers in a flurry of holiday activity.   Afters we clean up the feast, watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and perhaps a football game, our thoughts will start to shift to December’s festivities.

With all of the hustle and bustle, holiday music on the radio and twinkling lights, you may move on to another annual tradition – making New Year’s Resolutions – dropping unwanted pounds, making more time for your family, getting a promotion at work, going back to school, reconnecting with a loved one, etc.  You will probably select a resolution or two and push the thoughts to the back of your mind as you make plans to ring in the New Year.  As the Eve draws near, your 2009 goals may pop up in your mind from time to time and you’ll promise to start on those resolutions – on January 1.

We’ve all been there before, the whole routine – culminated by broken resolutions by February!  This year, I suggest a new approach to your New Year conundrum.

This year set a date for your Resolution Revolution.  I know, I can hear your protests already – who has time??  Somehow, I know you can find an hour  amidst the shopping, planning and partying!  It could be early one morning before the day gets rolling, an evening after you tuck the kids into bed, or over afternoon cappuccino – but it has to be scheduled on your calendar.  And if you cannot find a date, then plan your Revolution for January 1st as you recover from the festivities of the previous night!

To stage your Revolution you need nothing more than your calendar from 2008 and one for 2009, a notebook, a pen, a quiet place and the Resolution Revolution Plan!

Step 1:  Take Inventory – Imagine your year like the Year in Review issue of Time Magazine.  What does it look like?  Start in January and work your way through the months.  What stands out – the highs and the lows?  Take notes and make mental images as you work your way through the months, noticing what transpired, recognizing what you accomplished, realizing what fell off your radar.

Step 2:  Balance the Budget – With the insights gleaned from your inventory make a list of the things that worked for you in 2008.  Consider what you want to cultivate in your life throughout 2009.  What obstacles did you face in the past year?  What would you like to purge?  How would each serve you and your larger life goals?  What would it look like? How would it feel?  What would be better in your life? How will it bring you closer to being the person you want to be?

Step 3: Stage a Revolution – Create a plan of action. Take time to address the obstacles in the way of your success.  Assess available resources to help you maintain momentum.  Build in checkpoints to keep you on track.  Set up milestones to celebrate along the way – including a first action within 24 hours and an accomplishment to aim for within 2 weeks.  It could be to find a cohort to keep you accountable to yourself!

You can use the Resolution Revolution Plan to make 2009 the year that you begin building a life that reflects your priorities, your passions, your success.  Start by signing up to receive a regular dose of Revolution Me!