As we
closeout 2018 and look to the opportunities of the next year are we making Resolutions or Creating Goals? The term resolution means: “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” The definition of Goals (not related to sports): “The object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.” You may be different, but I personally have never been good at resolutions. They always seemed like something that I made but then soon gave up on a few months into the year as real life gets in the way and that all-important resolution doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Goals, on the other hand, although I have never accomplished all of goals in a year – seem more achievable and it feels great when you mark a goal off the list! In 2018 a few of the goals I achieved were: 1. Spend more quality time with my daughter 2. Find someone to build a personal website to my specifications 3. Write more songs 4. Secure bigger artists for my interviews 5. Launch a Blog 6. Write more articles 7. Try to do more of the things I’m good at and less of things I’m not good at 8. Play more guitar 9. Stay in touch with friends and family better 10. Be More Creative.
Now let’s look at some of the goals I didn’t achieve that will probably be added on to me 2019 list. Failed Goals: 1. Lose 30lbs 2. Go to the gym on a regular basis 3. Try to become more of a morning person 4. Finish another book 5. Polish up on my Spanish 6. Become better at slide guitar 7. Invent something 8. Teach classes at a college.
Like anything in life, that matters, Goals can’t be achieved unless we act on them. A few of these failures I did begin acting upon, like losing weight and working out, but then I didn’t stay focused. I’m starting to work on my 2019 Goals now as I hope you are as well. I don’t believe that most of us need more things to do or more projects, but we should all strive to better ourselves and those around us every day. Back in Las Vegas I had a friend that was in sales and I would ask him what he was doing today and his statement would always be “Being the Best Jason I can Be!” We aren’t in a competition with others in the business and work world, we are in responsible to challenge ourselves and be better than we were yesterday and last year. This doesn’t require huge Goals or things that can’t be achieved maybe they are small things, but over time all the small changes and goals achieved still add up to something bigger. That is why I think Resolutions typically fail for most of us because they are so big and seem unachievable and we can’t chip away at them. It is likened to trying to jump up a ladder with a massive resolution or climbing up the rungs of a ladder with each Goal we complete. As most of my friends and colleagues know I am not good at looking backwards, since I am constantly looking and working forward. Looking at the Goals that I have achieved in the past year makes me feel good, but I also know I can do better and can do more! Mediocrity and complacency are words that don’t appeal to me and lead to steps back down the ladder instead of up it. Whether you choose Resolutions or Goals for the coming year, my hope is that you can review your past year and find satisfaction and make your plans for an even more exciting and productive 2019. Each of us are only allotted a finite quantity of time on this earth to share with our loved ones, help others and create the great possibilities we imagine in our minds! Let us not waste it in pursuits that we are not passionate about. Happy New Years to each and every one of you!