Happy New Year!

Yes, this was generated with AI. My first attempt with DALL-E

A Fresh Start: Choosing the Right New Year’s Resolutions

The New Year is a time of renewal and reflection—an opportunity to set goals, embrace change, and chart a course for personal growth. But how many of us start January with the best intentions, only to find our resolutions abandoned by February? The key to success lies not in making more resolutions but in making better ones.

Why Goals Matter

Setting goals is a powerful way to motivate yourself and create positive habits. A well-chosen resolution can act as a guiding star, keeping you focused and energized. However, goals that are too vague, overly ambitious, or irrelevant to your true desires can quickly lead to frustration.

Common New Year’s Resolutions

Some of the most popular resolutions include:

  • Improving health: Losing weight, eating healthier, or exercising more frequently.
  • Advancing careers: Learning a new skill, networking more, or pursuing a promotion.
  • Building relationships: Spending more quality time with family and friends or finding a romantic partner.
  • Fostering personal growth: Reading more books, journaling, or practicing mindfulness.
  • Financial improvements: Saving money, reducing debt, or budgeting effectively.

These are all worthy aspirations, but success depends on how you approach them.

The Pitfall of Overcommitting

It’s tempting to set a long list of ambitious goals. But attempting to overhaul every aspect of your life simultaneously is a recipe for burnout. Instead of biting off more than you can chew, focus on a few meaningful resolutions that align with your values and are realistic to achieve.

Steps to Improve Your Odds of Success

  1. Be Specific: Transform vague aspirations into concrete goals. Instead of saying, “I want to exercise more,” aim for, “I will go to the gym three times a week.”
  2. Start Small: Break down larger goals into manageable steps. If you want to save $5,000 this year, calculate how much you need to save each week or month.
  3. Make It Measurable: Track your progress to stay motivated. Use apps, journals, or calendars to record milestones and celebrate small victories.
  4. Stay Accountable: Share your resolutions with a friend, family member, or online community. Accountability partners can offer encouragement and help you stay on track.
  5. Be Flexible: Life happens, and that’s okay. Adjust your goals as needed and give yourself grace if you stumble. Progress is more important than perfection.
  6. Focus on Why: Remind yourself why you chose your resolution in the first place. Connect your goals to a deeper purpose to keep your motivation alive.

My Goals:

I have done well in the past year on eating healthy, controlling my weight, and improving my relationship. I could use some improvement on exercise but have walked consistently.

I have read voraciously over the past year (as I always have) and have journaled and practiced mindfulness. I am not religious in the way many others are and am OK with that.

My business goals are ever evolving and are often dependent on what happens around me. I lost a two week per month contract that I have had for the past three years, so I am seeking to fill that time with other productive activities.

My business focus falls into four categories:

  1. Training (contracting to Automation Training and Automation NTH, teaching my own classes at my facility)
  2. System Integration (American Beverage Depot and new customers. I would like to do more jobs with Ignition)
  3. The Automation Academy (my online training platform. Continue creating content and attracting members)
  4. Building and selling training equipment (my enclosure kits, Fischertechnik models and some new models of my own)

Yes, I still write books. I will still work on some that are in progress as time allows.

A Year of Possibilities

The beauty of the New Year is that it offers a clean slate—an invitation to grow into the person you aspire to be. By choosing your goals wisely and taking deliberate steps toward achieving them, you can set yourself up for lasting success. Here’s to a year filled with progress, joy, and meaningful accomplishments. Happy New Year!

My second attempt with DALL-E
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About

Electrical Engineer and business owner from the Nashville, Tennessee area. I also play music, Chess and Go.