Resolve to Create More in the New Year

What is the point of a New Year’s resolution? As my husband said on our daily walk, so many people commit to “doing” something - losing weight, giving up alcohol, getting healthy - and everyone seems to forget about CREATING something. Isn’t that the “why” so many are missing when they set out with the best of intentions only to fail after, on average, 32 days? 

Why are you committing to losing weight? What will it CREATE for you? Or what does giving up alcohol allow you to create inside yourself? 

Identity Based Habits

In James Clear’s wildly popular book “Atomic Habits” he describes this important facet of goal setting or habit formation as the need to build identity-based habits. That way the new behaviors that you implement as repeated and routine habits are part of you and as Clear says, every action you take that proves your identity will be a vote for the person you want to be. It’s the small wins that give us the reinforcement and reward we need to remain committed to the process. 

If you only focus on the action you want to take, say to workout every day, the missing link is who that action will lead you to be - who it is that you are creating. Creation allows actions to have meaning and purpose that we - as humans with a goldfish brain who chase the next dopamine hit - desperately need if we are to be committed at all to our change and transformation. 

To Create Is to Think Bigger

To create is to go deeper. It’s why my word for 2024 - DEPTH - and this concept of setting desires for the New Year based on what I want to create are so much more powerful than traditional New Year’s Resolutions. 

Creating is a higher power, something bigger and bolder to aim for in 2024. Very few people create. Far more people consume and complain. What are you creating in the New Year?