A New Year’s Resolution

By the time you are reading this, the New Year has arrived and many of you may have thought about a New Year’s resolution.

I was curious to what the definition of “resolution” would be — according to Dictionary.com, “a firm decision to do or not to do something or a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting by a formal organization, a legislature, a club or other group.

”Hmmmm, this last definition I found rather interesting. I would believe most of us making a resolution or two would not be involving other people, but making this decision solely on our own without any input from others. Some may even make a list of resolutions for the New Year and never share any of their lists with anyone else. Can you even remember what your resolution was last year?

A few years back, a good friend of mine, Kenny Chap-man, wrote an article, “Why New Year’s Resolutions are a JOKE.”

He is the author of a book called, “The Six Dimensions of C.H.A.N.G.E.,” owns a training company called, “The Blue Collar Coach,” and a owns a plumbing company in Grand Junction, Colorado.

We have had Kenny at our shop working with our Team. He is all about moving forward and leaving the past in the past.

In his article, he asked the question to his team of service technicians, “Why don’t New Year’s resolutions work?”

A couple of his guys shout out that resolutions do work. As long as there is a strong enough emotional reason, along with a timeline and a plan to accomplish them, the desired results will always work as a resolu-tion. Sounds simple enough, but we all know New Year’s resolutions do not work.

Why? Basically, a day such as New Year’s Day or a new calendar year does not give the strong enough emotional reason to make the change. And if we fail, we know we always have next year!

Really, a better approach that does work is using the term “GOAL” versus “resolution.” I have read and done the exercises in Kenny’s book, “The Six Dimensions of C.H.A.N.G.E.

”C — Clarity: We must achieve clarity to really focus on what we want. This is much harder than it sounds. In this fast-paced world, we are pulled in so many directions.

H — Habit: Most of what we do daily is out of habit. A habit is not bad; we just need to make sure it is still serv-ing our needs in a positive way and not holding us back.

A — Action: We can write things on a piece of paper, but without actually doing something, nothing will hap-pen. Get engaged.

N — Never Give Up: Anything worthwhile will have some challenging aspects associated with it because we have never done this particular thing before. Don’t give up!

G — Gratitude: Everyday, I come across people who are just plain negative! Living in the United States, we have so much to be thankful for that we just plain take for granted like a simple task of just doing laundry. I recently did the holiday tour at the Conrad Mansion, here in Kalispell, and we toured the “laundry room.” I am so thankful for my washing machine and dryer. But big-ger than this, deepen your gratitude in all that you have and you improve your life.

E — Enthusiasm: Get excited! Find some passion! Make it happen for yourself today. There is really only one absolute truth: None of us are getting out of here alive — have some fun in this great game of life! If you do not like something, then change it. It is your choice.

As we make our way through 2015, keep this article close at hand, and review these six dimensions that Kenny has put together for us; or better yet, invest in his book. Go to www.thebluecollarsuccessgroup.com.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

**As always, your comfort is our Central concern. Call Central for all your heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and drain cleaning needs at 756-6656

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