Never make a resolution you don’t intend to keep
I don’t make more than one or two resolutions at a time. It is too many to keep. A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something.
I made two resolutions for 2009 – to jog an average of 32km per week (20 miles) and not eat a certain type of junk food. The only thing that will stop me from achieving my jogging goal is injury and nothing will make me break the junk food resolution.
A resolution is a promise to yourself. When you break a promise to yourself you sow the seed of self doubt. If you can’t trust yourself to keep promises you make to yourself – how can you trust promises to others?
I think the original author underestimates the importance of this list. It isn’t a list for micro business owners (as the article was intended), it is a guide for all of us, whether you are in big business or not in business at all. I recommend you make a poster of this list and put it on your wall:
10 Keystones for a successful life
- Get fit and work less. Get out and walk, run, swim or stretch. Do something each day that is 100% for you. Your business, and those around you, will thank you for it.
- Surround yourself with positivity. Don’t get suckered into negative press. Focus on what you can control. Measure and report on what’s actually happening in your life and your finances.
- Plant a seed every day. Do something, no matter how small, each and every day to feed your network and grow relationships. Send a thank you card. Make a social call.
- Get ruthless about distractions. Set aside uninterruptible blocks of time each day for your most important tasks. Be sure to switch off phones AND email.
- Outsource more. Identify the repetitive low-value tasks in your business or your life and outsource them. Focus your time where you can add real value.
- Give more stuff away. Share your expertise freely and get up to speed with the value of generosity. Embrace the philosophy of abundance.
- Stop talking, start listening. Don’t talk about yourself too much. Ask open ended questions about other people’s lives, work and industry. Interested is interesting.
- Stop marketing, start attracting. Get in touch with your opinions and rattle some cages. Demonstrate thought participation or leadership in your industry or community.
- Communicate more. Most problems arise from a lack of communication. Embrace the power of progress reports, update emails, follow-ups, quick phone calls and general hand-holding.
- Take back your inbox. The inbox is not a workspace ‘? when a message arrives, delete it, file it or defer it. Deal with it once. Check email at set times during the day and turn off automatic alerts.