New Year, New Thoughts: Simple Substitutions For a Successful 2022

We made it to January. January 2022. Although we suspect The Holidays brought quality family time and joy to many of you, the Contemporaries Team also recognizes the stress of the immediate world and wishes to take a moment to release you from the pressure of Resolutions. Sure, they’re important, but what also is important is that you’re here now, reading this, and that is a feat in itself. Is it time to forgo the classic New Year Resolution? At least this year? We think maybe it is and are offering some ways to manage your expectations and engage with goals in a self-loving realistic manner, but also offer you alternatives to the fateful Resolution, for this New Year. Happy 2022, everyone!

·  Self-improvement doesn’t need to be painful. Try this simple substitution: instead of “resolution” write “changes”. And start small. Try to think of five. Harvard Business School Professor, Hirotaka Takeuchi, guarantees this is more effective.

·  Having trouble identifying your changes? Here are small ideas: read more, ask more questions, listen more actively, spend more time outside, etc. Now you try. They can be more abstract. Get creative with them!

·  Dance. Enough said. And it doesn’t have to be fancy (don’t worry about that salsa class you’ve always wanted to sign up for – we understand times are tight financially, too!), but rather take to your living room, let your hair down, and get moving.

·  If “changes” don’t resonate with you, how about this as a prompt? Commit to yourself that you’ll try something new. This is applicable to the workplace (adventuring out of your comfort zone, meeting a new colleague, learning a new skill set that will be advantageous for your current position or aspirational position) and your personal life, too.

·  An acronym that can help create your changes/goals is: SMART. What does it stand for? Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-constrained. We find that little wordplay reminders help a lot.

·  Since many of you that are either employed by us, or hoping to be, are computer and tech savvy, there are some apps that can keep you committed and accountable to your goals. Download Way Of Life, Streaks, or Strava to start.

·  Now give yourself a pat on the back.

·  Now take a moment to write down an appreciation inventory list. What are five things you’re grateful for? That can help to keep perspective.

·  In order to keep ourselves motivated; it can help to remain calm. Do you have a meditative activity? For some (such as at the workplace) it can be as simple as an Excel Spreadsheet (yes, for some!), or filing and/organizing. At home it can be chopping vegetables or doing the dishes by hand. The Calm app can help ground and start you from a point of relaxation, too.

·  Even though it’s January 10th, please don’t be afraid to start now. It’s never too late. You can pretend that today, Monday, January 10th, is the “1st” if you need to. It’s a state of mind anyway.

The question remains – do we want to discard the idea of Resolutions? Abandon them? Totally jump ship. Or do we want to reimagine and define what that means? Our Team thinks it’s the latter. Embrace changes, goals, or new activities, but do try to approach it with patience for one’s self, and realistic intentions. Sometimes just re-naming the process helps. Insert anything else for Resolutions. Okay, so we are going to try here at Contemporaries, too, but you know what they say about hiding your own advice. Wink. But we are right there with you, acting “SMARTly” and plodding ahead, one day at a time. With gratitude. Now, that usually helps.

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