Goals vs. Resolutions - Which Is Better?

Here we are standing in the doorway of another year. Someone may have pushed you through, you may still be stuck in the middle, half in/half out or you may have taken that step on your own. Whatever the way, 2014 is here to stay. So what are you going to do with the time you've been given? So many choices and they all seem like good ones today, but what about tomorrow or in July?

Where did making resolutions at the beginning of a new year begin? It appears that ancient peoples began this practice as a promise to their god(s) and the tradition has continued through the years and looks how it does today. According to Merriam-Webster the definition of resolution is a promise to yourself that you will make a serious effort to do something that you should do.

How do resolutions differ from goals?

A goal is something that you are trying to do or achieve. The big difference between the two is the word "promise" - a word that has so much heavy "stuff" behind it. Promises when broken, break trust. Trust between two parties or in this case, trust in yourself that you can actually achieve what you said. When life is challenging to begin with, throwing in promises can make something simple become the Mt. Everest of your year. So why do we continue to do it? Why is setting a goal less than stating a resolution (which is usually in a drunken moment with zero forethought)? It shouldn't be, goals are just as important, if not more so, to accomplish what you want in life.

Proposition for you - let's not set resolutions that we haven't given any thought to, let's not set ourselves up for failure this year, instead let's set ourselves up for SUCCESS by setting achievable goals, both long-term and short, easy and challenging. We have time to think about it and set goals that make sense to what we want to accomplish in life, what the end-game is. And if we don't achieve all of them, it's ok, because we tried our hardest and now we know that some goals will be harder to achieve, will require more time or more dedication on our parts, and that IS something we understand and can DO.

So, give it some thought and let us know what your goals are. We can help each other achieve those goals whether it's through recommendations, ideas or a simple, "I know you can do it!" I'll be posting mine through the year and letting you know if I succeed or if I fail.

Let's make 2014 a year that we accomplish our goals, not break our resolutions!