Today’s post is a guest post from Thom Monahan, Dream Manager & Owner of The Life Purpose Center of Montgomery in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thom is one of the most positive people I’ve ever met, and a great example of someone who cares about helping his clients, relationships and friends to be successful in every aspect of their lives. For example – Thom is on a personal quest to locate a Hero that has Type O blood and is willing to donate a kidney to a friend. Although very willing to donate his own, he’s not a match, and as a result has made it a personal mission to assist Pat in finding one. You can learn more here. Maybe you’re the Hero Thom and Pat are searching for!
Well that time of year where habit wins out over logic, and the New Year’s resolutions make their cameo appearance has come and gone again. Before you reconsider that big plunge to stop smoking, lose weight, balance your checkbook or commit to a long term relationship, consider the flaw in the traditional process. The majority of resolutions rarely recognize the month of February for the same reason that our government cannot solve the economic crisis… it’s overwhelming. The stroke of the President’s pen will no more instantly save the financial industry than will the abandonment of carbs give me the physique of David Beckham. The overwhelming nature of most New Year’s resolutions is that our focus is on the end result and not on the individual steps of a journey of a thousand miles. Before you criticize my logic and correct me with the you can hit a target you can’t see law, hear me out. I’m a firm believer in having a target that you can see, however I am equally committed to the belief that once you have a long term target you cannot succeed in one fell swoop.
I propose that we do away with New Year’s Resolutions and replace them with New Day Resolutions. That’s right, let’s break our ambitions down to easily attainable steps that can be measured by a 24-hour period. In essence, what we really want to accomplish is to live the only day we are guaranteed with the goal of being the best version of ourselves for that day alone. When tomorrow comes – if tomorrow comes – we will only have to concern ourselves with that day. It’s much easier to achieve a one day goal than be focused on the overwhelming lifetime achievement. With this in mind, I propose to you that you are only guaranteed today and everything you do today to be the best version of yourself will get you one step closer to your ultimate goal. The pressure is off when you focus on what you can control.
There is the chance that you look back upon your one day only to realize that you didn’t make decisions that resulted in the best version of yourself. I can guarantee that you’ll experience those days when your best version doesn’t materialize! No big deal, you haven’t lost a day, you just aren’t one day closer to your ultimate goal. Should tomorrow arrive, you can set your sights on that day alone and give it another shot. New Day Resolutions are not captive to the traditional calendar and as such can be applied at any time. Why wait for January to roll around each year to live each day with purpose? Start today to move toward the best version of yourself! Make your New Day Resolution expire within a 24-hour period and celebrate an achievement every day. Go ahead. You deserve an opportunity every day to pat yourself on the back. If you’d like to share one of your New Day Resolutions with me in the comments section, I’ll be happy to pat you on the back!
Thom Monahan has over 27 years of experience in consulting with small businesses and young professionals, and as a certified Dream Manager/Owner of The Life Purpose Center of Montgomery in Cincinnati, Ohio he helps people to connect with their dreams and achieve the best version of themselves. To learn more about becoming the best version of yourself, check out The Rhythm of Life by Matthew Kelly or www.floydconsulting.com.
