New Year’s Resolutions: Who Will You Be – Not Just What Will You Do – In 2011?
Posted on January 04, 2011 by Mark Strong, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
This year…if you’re making resolutions…consider stating them in terms of who you will be. This is an exercise about how you will show up in the world.
Ryan Seacrest, Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper asked nearly every single one of their New Year’s Eve guests what their resolutions were for 2011. Many of the guests simply said, “I don’t do resolutions.” It was evident they had experience – like many of us – that resolutions don’t often work…so they’ve learned not to say them aloud. Many other guests claimed the old standbys of swearing less, exercising more and eating better.
One female guest on Bravo though was the hero of the night for me. She said to Andy Cohen, “I’m going to be oodles nicer to everyone in my life.”
I nearly high-fived the television!
In my experience as a coach, resolutions are far more powerful and executable when they are about who you’re going to “be” in the world and not just what you’re going to “do” in it.
It’s terrific if you want to lose weight this year. But why?
Is it because you want to “be” healthier or “be” a better example to your children? Are you going to exercise 3 times a week or “be” in the best shape you can? Will you work less or will you “be” a more balanced person?
For some it may seem like this is a matter of semantics. But language does matter. Don’t forget that we are human “beings” not human “doings.”
This year…if you’re making resolutions…consider stating them in terms of who you will be. This is an exercise about how you will show up in the world.
Make a resolution to really “be” something in 2011.
