100 Coaches Week 21.52 The New Year’s Daily Resolution

Have you ever wondered what it means that most people fail to achieve their New Year's resolution? Here is one often used "statistic" "80 percent of people drop their resolutions by the second week of February." Just in time for Valentine's Day? Or this one: Strava, using 800 million users logged activities, predicts that most people will quit by January 19th. They call it "Quitter's Day."

It doesn't have to be this way, and I will tell you how to shift the narrative. The approach is based on Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter's classic book Triggers. That book details an approach to asking yourself daily questions that trigger positive change. I have been doing the Daily Questions process for over two years now, and I feel like I can change almost anything I commit to change. At the core of Triggers is a reframing of how we create change, and that's where the new approach to New Year's resolutions comes in. Here is the new approach:

Choose something you want to change in 2022. Make it something that is observable and that you can measure daily. Then, every day, give yourself a 1to 10 score of how well you tried to accomplish it (the key word is “tried”, intentions do matter according to Marshall). Look at your score at the end of the year and see how you did. If you arrive at the end of the year with a score - you have accomplished your New Year's resolution!

Sounds simple, right? It is. Since September, I have been testing this, and here are some examples of what I have been doing. Test #1: I have a natural sweet tooth and "need" dessert after dinner. My test resolution: don't have processed desserts after dinner. Average score: 8.6 (6 out of 7 days) 2) Get 8 hours of sleep. Average score: 9.0 3) don't watch TV/Movies on Saturday Average score: 6.0. I plan to carry them into 2022 and perhaps add a few more.

Perhaps you are thinking - wow! you have stopped eating dessert 6 out of 7 days a week, impressive! (That's what I'm thinking; I didn't think I would make it four days :) Or maybe you are thinking - barely over 50% of the time, you cannot watch TV on Saturday, what's that about? For me, here is the real bottom line: if I keep this up for a year, then I will have avoided over 300 desserts and have spent 26 Saturdays filling my free time with something other than TV. It's not all or nothing. It's about succeeding by trying. It's about not having to stop because you missed one day. Every day is a new day, a fresh start, a chance for success.

Try it out see if it works for you. If you feel like it's working (or even think that it might work), then share it with other people who you think will benefit from creating some successes in their life. If you want to plus it up, find a friend who you don't mind calling each day and have them ask you how you did. You write the questions, you give the answers. However, a little external accountability goes a long way. I'd like this to be a movement where we celebrate our accomplishments and slough off our imperfections. Since your measure of success is trying every day, there is no failure. Whatever you accomplish at the end of the year is better than if you did nothing.

This is the New Year's Daily Resolution practice. Please pass it on, and let me know how you do! And thank you for reading my newsletter. I enjoy writing it each week and appreciate your reading and comments. You inspire me to continue to search, share and explore. I wish you and those you love a year of health, happiness, and fulfillment.

New Year's Resolutions: Love Yourself by Ayse Birsel

Loving ourselves is a habit we learn but are not taught. It is a habit because you get better at it the more you practice it. It is something you learn as you grow older. But you are not taught it—how many parents tell their kids "love yourself"?! Loving yourself is not being self-centered. It is being kind to yourself. It is about celebrating the good things you do every day. And forgiving yourself for your mistakes and seeing them as learning opportunities (just like in design, where every failure is an opportunity to improve and refine your next model). So this is my conclusion for 2021 and my new year resolution #1 for 2022. Love Myself. I wanted to share it with you. Love Yourself. I love you for being in my life. My life is better because of you, and I look forward to seeing you, hearing from you or simply knowing you're there. Happy new year! Ayse (Eye-shay) ( check out Ayse's virtual teas every Wednesday at 5pm)

Charlene Wheeless's book YOU ARE ENOUGH reviewed by Ruth Gotian 

Charlene Wheeless is a 35-year corporate communication professional and business executive, but that peak was difficult to achieve. Her life is the story of a woman who continuously defied the odds and reached the top of her profession. Yet, despite her accolades, she learned to live her authentic self when she stopped caring about other people’s opinions. Extrinsic motivation, other people’s judgments, was no longer going to drive her pursuits. Her autobiography, You Are Enough is a battle cry for all those achieving success but are constantly feeling left out as if they don’t measure up. It offers valuable tools and a backbone to have the courage to take control of your destiny and feel whole again. Forbes article released Wed, Dec 29, 2021 

Methods Of 100 Coaches - the online destination to grow leadership skills

Methods of 100 Coaches is an online leadership education platform that features high-quality, interactive courseware taught by the world’s top leadership educators, coaches, and thought leaders. We have created a virtual “toolbox” of the most current and proven techniques for leadership, and each coach brings something different to the table. The content is readily actionable and engaging, and the platform provides a host of features that deepen and enrich the learning experience beyond just watching a video. With an incredible toolbox of strategies and tips for managing teams, running a business, or even personal happiness, there’s no limit to what you can achieve. Give yourself the gift of leadership thinking in 2022 (and right now get one free for a friend) www.methodsof.com

And, as always, thank you, Marshall, for making all of this possible.

With love gratitude and wishing us all a year of health, peace and prosperity.

Scott