January 9, 2022 – The West Egg Group

should you make a new year's resolution?

January 9, 2022

The start of a new year can feel refreshing and invigorating, and can be a great reason to make a plan to be your best self moving forward — not only in your personal life, but also in your career.

Ahead of you are 12 months of new beginnings and opportunities. But how do you get motivated to make New Year’s resolutions, how do you measure your progress, and should you even make them in the first place? Let’s talk it through.

What is a New Year’s resolution?

Most common in North America, a New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person commits to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behaviour, accomplish a personal goal, or improve their life in some way starting at the start of a new year.

People make resolutions for all kinds of reasons. Usually, it’s a way to ignite action — to take steps towards feeling better, more productive, and more content.

Should you make a New Year’s resolution?

It’s ultimately up to you. Some people write down a list of things they want to accomplish at the beginning of the year, while others don’t feel motivated to do so. The bonus about using the start of a new year to make positive changes is that it gives you a bit of a push, or reason, to make those adjustments. This can be helpful for getting to things that you’ve been putting off or afraid to do.

Here are some tips on whether or not you’re ready to commit to a resolution:

> Are you willing?
Now, you have to be honest here. If you don’t actually want to change your behaviour, it will be very difficult to make progress towards your resolution. Being willing is the first step toward success.

> Pick a resolution (or a few) that matters to you

Be sure to select resolutions that align with your values. Whether it is something in your personal life or a career aspiration, make it something that matters to you — you aren’t doing this for anyone else.

> Pick no more than 3 resolutions

Set yourself up for success by committing to just a few changes, big or small. Overwhelming yourself will cause you to abandon your resolutions, so be sure that the number you pick, and their difficulty to achieve, are manageable.

> Be specific and make it measurable
To know if you’re on track and if you’ve achieved your goal(s), they need to be measurable. You’ll also need to decide how you’ll keep track of your progress. Keeping a journal and making a schedule are great ways to do this. Be sure to set up check-points throughout the year to ensure you’re on track. Waiting until the end of the year to evaluate won’t allow you to course-correct along the way.

> Give yourself room to fail (and grow!)

As you work towards your goals, you may encounter setbacks. Embrace these as learning opportunities and take what you learn forward. Reevaluate, reset, and have another go at your resolutions!

New Year’s resolutions at work

We at The West Egg Group continually evaluate our progress as an organization and look for new ways to do more and be better — for our employees and guests. And you can do the same in your role.

Think about what you love about your job and where your strengths are. What do you want to continue doing? Stop doing? Start doing? Then, make a plan and take action. And don’t be afraid to reach out for help or support along the way. Rarely do we achieve greatness alone — and we love to support others in their pursuit of success!

Happy New Year!