I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions.
Don’t get me wrong. I strongly believe we ADHD adults need goals and targets to shoot for.
It’s just that the idea of New Year’s Resolutions have never resonated with me. Perhaps because I break them too readily.
The plan to exercise more, write daily, or organize a closet each week may seem compelling in the glow of a glass of champagne at midnight on 12/31 but doesn’t hold up to the comings and goings of my day-to-day life.
I’m not a raving fan of setting myself up for failure. It doesn’t seem to accomplish much. One of the ways I have learned to Outsmart my ADHD is to set myself up for success.
That doesn’t mean New Year’s Eve isn’t a time of reflection for me. In fact I think it’s a perfect time to reflect on my life.
Looking back. Looking forward. That wide, clean slate of a New Year to form into something marvelous.
I’ve created a more free form way to reflect at the New Year which I find much more effective than setting resolutions.
How I Avoid New Year’s Resolutions
I Ask Myself Three Questions
- What did I like about the previous year?
- What did I learn in the previous year?
- What do I want to do differently in the next year?
I won’t bore you with the details of my answers. Let’s just say 2013 was a transitional year for me. Filled with meaning and joy. Personal and business highs, lows and some deep heart aches.
I Set a Buzz Phrase
The other thing I do each New Year is pick a phrase to help move me forward. I call it my Buzz Phrase.
My 2013 buzz phrase was ‘Dream Bigger’. It was a good one. It inspired me move my business up a level. My ode to my hero, Steve Jobs.
My 2014 buzz phrase isn’t quite so lofty. It’s the kick in the pants to my ADHD tendency to procrastinate and avoid action. ‘Do It Anyway’.
Already I’ve been telling myself ‘Do It Anyway’ rather often. Why that’s what got me to write this blog late on a Friday afternoon when I’d rather be winding down for the weekend.
Living with ADHD doesn’t have to be so hard, but we do have to do things differently than other people. Let them have their New Year’s Resolutions. I prefer a different approach.
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