New Year's Evolutions

I decided this year, I wasn't going to make any New Year's resolutions. Instead, I'm working on New Year's evolutions. They differ from resolutions in several ways, the most basic being that it's not about abruptly stopping or starting a behavior. My New Year's evolutions are about expanding or contracting things in my life. The reason for this is simple. Like most other human beings, I am not good at sustaining large changes in my life. I've learned that we are all much better at making small changes.

The example I point to is weight loss. Many people make a New Year's resolution to lose 10, 20, 50, 100 pounds. That lasts about a week, until the kids are cranky, the job is stressful, the finances are tight...you name it, there's always something that comes up to break our resolve.

In fact, studies show that people who are most successful at losing weight and keeping it off make a series of small changes. They reduce their caloric intake by 100 calories per day or they start walking for 30 minutes three times a week consistently. It's that simple. After 6 months, those habits are in-grained and they no longer seem like something you have to 'do'.

The same is true for just about anything else you want to change in your life. So, this year, my evolutions are these:
- Be a bit kinder
- Be a bit tidier
- Take time to have a bit more fun

Now, if you look at this list, you can see that it wouldn't stand up to the scrutiny of a business project plan - it doesn't have measurable outcomes - and that's the appeal. Evolutionary change is gradual, kinder, gentler change. As an added benefit, it's easier to be successful with New Year's evolutions. So, at the end of 2009, I'll look back over the year and ask "Was I a bit kinder this year? Was I just a bit tidier this year? Did I have a bit more fun during 2009?

I suspect my answer will be "Yes, but let's keep working on it."
Best wishes for wonderful, evolutionary change in your life in 2009.