“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” – Oprah Winfrey

I’m a big fan of New Year’s resolutions (yes—one of those people that starts a new gym membership in January). However I also tend to find success in such resolutions. In 2012 I resolved to switch from coffee to tea, mostly because I don’t like black coffee and wanted to cut out all the sugar from those delicious Coffee-Mate sweeteners (Pumpkin Spice or Peppermint Mocha anyone?) I still treat myself to a latte every now and then, but even 4 years later my daily routine consists of tea not coffee (and therefore no Coffee-mate).

Now realistically I know not all resolutions will be so successful. A couple years ago I also resolved to read one book per month. I haven’t quite read 12 books per year, usually it’s more like 3 to 6, but that’s a heck of a lot more than I was reading before I had a goal in mind. I thoroughly enjoy reading, but it’s something I have to consciously make time for. Keeping a goal helps with the commitment to making time for something I enjoy. Mentally, it also removes the feeling of guilt for indulging in a more leisurely activity because now, it’s a goal I’m working towards.

“Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas and progress.” –Charles Kettering

I think there’s something psychological about the new year and a “fresh start.” I like things to be complete, symmetrical, and even—for example starting a new diet on a Monday. So for me, the new year provides that extra motivation to start things I’ve been putting off and to work towards goals I haven’t committed sufficient time for through the opportunity of starting anew.

We do a lot of goal setting through the program as well. In August, we set goals for ourselves for the program-year—personal goals for each of our program pillars, live, work, play, give and lead. And as we wrapped up 2015 and entered the new year, we participated in several visioning activities during our regular Leadership training to verbalize what we wanted to gain out of our remaining time in the program and the rest of 2016.

One such activity involved sharing our vision for ourselves for the year ahead in a small group during short 3 minute intervals, and rotating so we shared our vision out-loud 3 times in a row. Much of what we do in the program mimics this fast-paced style, which can be helpful to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. During the second activity, we created vision boards, my personal favorite (I have a personal affinity for collaging—part of my “input” strength). This activity entailed clipping inspiring images and phrases and placing them strategically on poster board. Who knew that creating a vision board, really not much different than collaging, had actual benefits?

“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the years.” – Henry Moore

Now any resolution is only as good as how well it is kept. And any expert resolutionist knows one must constantly review their goals and reflect on progress to have any hope at attaining them.

We review our program goals regularly after every challenge in pre-determined groups, so we are meeting with the same people about every 6 weeks to connect, reflect on our last challenge, and hold each other accountable for making progress on our goals. We were also encouraged to display our vision boards in a place where they would be seen every day, to keep our visions at the forefront of our minds. And for my personal goals, I’ve created a daily checklist to help regularly review my progress for staying on track. Even though some of my resolutions only entail doing something once or a few times a week, reviewing them daily helps me manage my time to fit as much in as possible and keep me focused on progress.

Anyone who’s taken a SMART course will also tell you goals need to be specific and measurable. So I’ve assigned (most) my resolutions specific achievement measurements per day, week or month.

I also found this really helpful New York Times article on How to Stick to Your New Year’s Resolutions.

1. Why don’t I do this already?
2. Why do I feel the need to do this now?

The thought being we need to target the right obstacles and ensure we have the sufficient desire to overcome them.

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – C. S. Lewis

My resolutions this year, as with most years, center around several key themes: Personal Development, Health, and Relationships.

Personal Development–I hope to be more productive and focused and find clarity and inner peace through regularly meditating, reading more, becoming a morning person, and to stop procrastinating. To measure my productivity I aim to complete one pre-determined project per month and try to tackle one nagging task each day.

Health and Wellness–Like most new years resolutions, I hope to improve my health and fitness by exercising regularly, drinking 5-8oz glasses of water each day, walking 10,000 steps each day, and keeping up with logging MyFitnessPal. I’ve also become a Vegetarian (mainly just to see if I can do it). And I love meat, bacon to be exact, so this one is particularly difficult.

Personal Relationships–Research from The Happiness Project shows that cultivating and nurturing personal relationships contributes to overall happiness. Personally I also think this is just important for personal growth, so I plan to strengthen my relationships by committing to one date night a week, calling family once a week, making more time for friends, and being a better networker.

Challenge Detroit Goals: 

• Work: Lean skills in a new industry—since accepting the program meant changing careers and leaving behind the only real job I’ve had since college, this goal was sort of a no-brainer. Taking the job meant I would be working in Marketing, something I studied in college but had no real-world experience in. I’m happy to report that I have learned a lot about the field, and particularly Legal marketing since my position is with an intellectual property law firm. 

• Live: Learn my way around the city without using Google Maps–it may sound simple but unlike many other cities, Detroit is not on a grid system. Some judge appointed by Jefferson many ages ago planned the city as a “spoke” model. 

• Play: Try one new establishment per month–what better way to explore the city than to support the local business through patronage? 

• Give: Become actively and regularly involved with 1 or 2 charitable organizations–while we are required to volunteer regularly through the program, I hope to become more deeply involved with an organization whose mission I am passionate about 

• Lead: To be a more effective public speaker–I’ve always hated public speaking. Even simply speaking in front of large groups I naturally avoid. Luckily through the program we are regularly sharing in front of all 30 fellows, participating in lively activities which involve singing, acting, etc. in front of the entire group, and we have regular opportunities to present in front of key stakeholders at the end of each of our challenges. 

• Program (overarching) goal: Keep challenging and learning new things about myself–One of the best things about the program for me has been returning to an educational environment. The program is a great combination of real-world experience working and consulting with non-profits while still maintaining the academic component with group projects, papers, powerpoints, and leadership trainings. I feel having work experience and being several years out of school has really enabled me to appreciate all facets of the program, no matter how tedious they may seem. 

Reflecting on my goals and visions for the year has also been exciting to think about all that lies ahead. The experience thus far has been invaluable and I’ve already built so many connections through the program. It’s not all fun and certainly not always easy, but it’s those tough days and complex issues that we can learn the most from. It’s also why “Challenge” is part of the program’s name.

Keeping resolutions is not always easy either, but similarly present challenges to learn and grow from. Sometimes the path to happiness is not always clear, so continuing to reflect on the “why” and tweak the “how’ is important. There’s typically 5 resolutions I may throw out the window after a few weeks or even a month, but committing to testing them out is still a fulfilling practice itself. Once given a fair test, determining whether they are actually helpful, make me a happier person or align me closer to my long-term goals will dictate whether to continue working at them.