Twas the season to be jolly! Now all too quickly, tis the season to plan for the New Year! Imagine what 2009 would be like if everything you resolved to do in 2008 (or even 50%) had been accomplished. Now imagine choosing to commit to acting on the resolutions you make this year.

Many times I have been bombarded with all kinds of incentives to make resolutions for this year. I can not help wondering why this seems to be the constant theme especially since I have not nearly completed the resolutions I made at the beginning of 2008.

I, like many of you, sat with paper and pen in a quiet pensive state writing all the things I wanted to be, do and have for 2008. Amazingly, before the end of January, many of the things I had written no longer mattered. So now here is 2009 I am wondering if making resolutions really matter.

However, feeling the pressure from all around me, I have chosen to make resolutions and commitments this year. I am only writing things I know I can commit to and see them through. Does this sound like a cop-out to you? Does it sound like I am not willing to stretch?

Falling into the trap of making too many resolutions almost always lead to overwhelm. The feeling of overwhelm ensures that nothing or very little gets done. Starting out with fewer achievable resolutions backed with commitment gives miraculous results. Once the results start coming in, it is easier to continue.

Now, what do you want to resolve, start a business, lose weight, make more money, or build a stronger relationship with family and friends? There is no limit to the opportunities for resolutions backed with commitment nor is there a limit on getting them done. However, writing objectives prior to writing a resolution is a great way to ensure that the resolutions have meaning for you. The objective will give you a starting point.

For example, today your objective is to bake a cake. Your goal is to purchase all of the necessary ingredients. Once the ingredients (flour, milk, eggs, sugar, oil) are purchased, your resolution is to combine them in certain proportion to make a cake. Your commitment is to make the cake. If you leave each ingredient in its own container, you will never have a cake.

How often do you purchase all of the ingredients and find that you are too exhausted to complete the task? This happens with your resolutions, you spend so much time writing and refining them that they wear you out or they seem too big or they take too much time. Could this be that this resolution is not right for you or do you just need help focusing?

At times like these, a third party, a coach, can help you determine if this is your right resolution and help you focus to achieve your resolution. If this is not your right resolution, a coach will see things from a different perspective and will ask you questions leading to self-discovery and awareness. A coach helps you clarify what really matters.  

2009 is an open book. You get to decide what you want to be, do or have. Imagine what your life will be like when you commit to following thorough on your resolutions to create your new future. Choose boldly, brilliantly, and beautifully. Remember, you are not required to relive 2008 or any previous year.