01/ 03/ 2006
Make those important Jan. 1 resolutions, and you can find yourself headed toward personal and professional growth. But just suppose you adopted the resolution habit every month. Imagine the things you could accomplish if the first day of each month becomes a time to plan and chart progress.
So begin to think of the first day of every month as the start of a new year. And use that day to set a powerful new goal.
- January: The start of the calendar year is a great time to ponder your personal and occupational goals. Action step: Figure out the most important things you’d like to accomplish for your family and your small business. Consider changes you’d like to make with your health and personal life. Then set a few practical goals for the 12 months ahead.
- February: In the middle of this winter month is the ancient Valentine’s Day holiday. So February may be a great time to think about relationships. Action step: Identify three important personal and professional relationships that need repairing or cultivating. Then think about three specific things you can do to build those relationships in the months ahead––and get going.
- March: Spring arrives this month. This is a wonderful time to think about growth. Action step: Bring to the fore one new thing you’d like to do: A new business initiative perhaps or an entirely new activity in your personal life. Take the first steps toward this activity, even if those steps simply involve learning about the subject.
- April: In the United States, April is known as “tax month.” Most federal and state income taxes are due, and thoughts frequently turn to financial issues. Action step: Determine the top three deficiencies in your financial life. Then, identify three steps you can take to improve your financial position over the long term and set a deadline for putting those steps in motion.
- May: Through most of the northern hemisphere, May is the month of planting and growing. It’s the time of the year when millions of people give time and energy to the needs of their yards and gardens and work hard to bring beauty to their neighborhoods and communities. Action step: Think broadly about the ways you give of your time to important causes around you. Consider a way to increase your volunteer service over the next 12 months, even if slightly, and identify several causes that you would like to support.
- June: During June, sunshine and light is at its peak, and we experience the longest days of the year. Action step: This is the perfect month to think about time management. Evaluate your own time and priority management “system.” Identify one thing you can do to better manage your time. Put it into practice.
- July: Chances are you’re taking some time off this month. Maybe you’re traveling to the mountains or seashore, visiting friends in a distant city, taking a road trip or simply relaxing at home. Action step: How can you build more leisure time into your life? Generate at least three answers to this question. And remember, you need to think about small chunks of time that can be carved out of your otherwise busy schedule as a small-business owner. Then pick one answer and resolve to pursue it over the next 12 months.
- August: As summer deepens and you have time for quiet and reflection, think about the habits that govern your personal and business life––the ways you get things done, deal with tasks and live each day. Action step: Habits are the building blocks of success. After thinking about the myriad of habits you practice, pick one that needs discarding or improving. Visualize yourself practicing this transformed habit in the year ahead, and set out to make it part of your everyday life.
- September: It’s back-to-school time. Whether you’re going to be sitting in a classroom or not, this is the month to remember that learning should be a lifelong process and that many educational opportunities abound for people of all ages and backgrounds. Action step: Pick three things you’d really like to learn in the year ahead, then set out to determine how you can best learn them. Look at all options, from traditional courses to community workshops to self-study, then go for it.
- October: People in theUnited States observe Columbus Day this month. It’s a time to celebrate the spirit of discovery and exploration. Action step: What would you most like to explore in your personal life or your occupation? This can be virtually anything––a new place, product, idea or experience. Write out a simple action plan that will bring your exploration to life and develop a timeline for the next 12 months.
- November: Thanksgiving Day is celebrated throughout theUnited States this month. This is the month to celebrate the things that are cause for thanks––and the month to offer simple thank-you gifts to the people who enrich our lives. Action step: List five things for which you are especially thankful. Then determine at least one way that you can show your gratitude in the year ahead for these gifts. Pick the dates and occasions to do so.
- December: The end of the calendar year is drawing close. This is the perfect time of year to pause and consider your own capacity for self-evaluation. Action step: What do you most want to probe or change in your life over the next year? More significantly, how can you better understand the skills and experiences that help you change and grow? Identify three ways that you can learn more about yourself. These could include simple self-exploration techniques, such as reading the occasional book about behavior, spending time with a coach or mentor or completing self-assessment profiles. Pick at least one evaluation tool you can use––and make it part of your life in the year ahead.
Don’t let yourself make too many resolutions in January that simply fall by the wayside by February. Make a habit of resolutions and feel the success of fulfilling them all year long.
