Do you do New Year’s resolutions?
It’s a common practice to do a New Year’s resolution. I don’t. If something needs done, why wait until the beginning of the year to embark on needed change.
I do a word of the year.
Last year it was “EXECUTION”
In 2022, it’s “ACCOUNTABILITY”
Studies show that 80% of New Year’s resolution flat out fail. Yep – we the people, don’t like change. We abhor it. Most resolutions are in the bag by the first week of February. A study (done by Strava) and published in Inc. Magazine confirms this.
I’m a glass half-empty guy and I know that I’m not supposed to be, BUT I want to know what happened to the stuff in my glass.
I am a firm believer in goals. I set them every year in just about every area of my life.
Goals should be:
- Believable – no pie in the sky stuff here. Stuff that not’s believable is a wish or a dream. It’s nice to dream, but let’s get real here.
- Measurable – if you can’t measure it, it’s not a goal. I have no clue what it is. Metrics keep you on the path and on target.
- Achievable – if you can’t achieve it, you’ll get frustrated and quit. Large goals need to be broken down into several smaller goals. Achievable lets you celebrate the small victories on the way to reaching your big ones.
So why the word “ACCOUNTABLE”
Frustration. Plain and Simple. I want to grow my business this year on 2 fronts. First, I want to raise my revenue from product sales 50% over last year. Second, I want to double the size of my consulting business. Both are believable, measurable, and achievable.
For this to become a reality, I need to be held accountable by somebody other than myself. I’ve solicited help from a few folks in my mastermind circle. We’re scheduled to meet monthly and will review my business top to bottom to ensure that I’ve not wandered too far off the path I’ve chosen.
The other reason that I chose the word accountability is that I disassociated myself with several people in 2021. The reason – lack of accountability. These people absolutely refused to accept responsibility for their actions.
They spoke in superfluous terms like collaborate, conversate, etc. Big words – lots of puffery. That’s all it was – talk. Zero action.
I’ve spent more than 55 years in and around sports. Cheerleaders have their place – on the sidelines. I’m a competitor. I want to be on the field competing. These folks talked a good game, but when the time came, they didn’t want to be in the game. I’ll give them credit. They did have a long list of excuses “why” and surprisingly, none of it was their fault.
Go figure.
Accountability is my word and I’m sticking to it. I’ll keep you posted on how I’m doing.
What’s your word?
Bobby
