Thank Goodness It's Monday #442

RESOLUTIONS ALONE ARE BUPKIS

(OH, AND WELCOME TO 2014)

“Bupkis” – if, by chance, you’re not familiar with the word – is a dictionary-accepted English language word more often spoken than written.


The etymology of "bupkis"

 -- if you care to delve deeper --

finds the origins in a Yiddish phrase

concerning goat droppings.

It’s defined as “absolutely nothing; nothing of value, significance, or substance.” 

It’s use in today’s TGIM headline is to both attract your attention and to emphasize an important idea that, I hope, will help us all better keep our newly made resolutions and achieve our 2014 goals as we perceive them in these early days of the year.

So let’s get started: Six-and-a-bit days ago on New Year’s Eve a fellow celebrator said to me –

“This year I’m not making resolutions,

but finding solutions.”

Hmmm. Interesting idea. And on reflection, I agree.

Now exactly what the shorthand “solutions/no resolutions” means for him was not revealed in our passing exchange.

But we can figure out the spirit of it.

For starters, the firmly and soberly resolved “In 2014 I’m going to …

·         Lose weight

·         Learn a new language

·         Add a customer each week

·         Get that in-ground pool

·         Have a weekly date night with my significant other

·         Coach my kids’ teams to a championship season

… is just lip service until you’ve assessed the situation, assessed your level of commitment and, with that insight, sorted out just how you will make it so.

TGIM Takeaway: As my New-Year’s-Eve reveling friend suggests, it’s the solution-creating process we devise and act on that will have the most impact on our goal-achievement outcome.

Perhaps just declaring New Year’s resolutions and goals can provide direction and even push you forward in the short-term. But when they are only stand-alone expressions of intent, the outcome’s bound to be discouraging and disappointing. 

Take that weight loss resolution. It’s #1, year-in, year-out. 

And 2014’s no different. Once again millions of folks will resolve and fret and place unnecessary stress on themselves to lose weight. 

But in our instant-gratification world, stating a goal carries some expectation that the sincere intention alone will bring results.

Of course, some may have success in the short term. 

But most will soon be setting their year-end resolve by the roadside and, in 359 days, will regretfully be making their #1 resolution their #1 resolution one more time. 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: In 2014 -- rather than fretting about big, life-changing goals -- we can keep things simple and reduce stress by focusing on the daily process and sticking to a well-thought-out schedule plotted with an honest assessment of our ability and commitment to sticking to it.

Here’s proof: Take away a stated lofty goal, while leaving in place the commitment to the process or system you envision, and what happens?

Yup. You’d still get results. Maybe even great results.

Don’t get me wrong. I understand and endorse the travel-planning metaphor that usually accompanies goal-setting discussions:

You can’t even begin to think about making a trip

until you have a destination.

Goals – like final destinations -- are for planning. And eventually a well-designed system will be the prime mover in accomplishing what you desire most fervently. 

The point is: By focusing on the practice and step-by-step performance instead of the big end result, you can enjoy the present moment and improve at the same time. It’s in the assessment and forecasting and development and scheduling and preparing and setting up and execution and adapting to change that we make progress.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Correctly assessing your ability and commitment is the starting point. Having a system and routinely reviewing, evaluating, tweaking and finely honing that is what matters in the long run. Then committing to that process is what makes the difference.

Although we can agree you, too, are awesome --
please dig deeper than Garfield does in this 2013 year-end Jim Davis strip.

So are you buying this argument?

Are you ready for some solution-finding input?

Here’s some perhaps-fresh insight:

1. Individuals change best when the motivation comes from within rather from the outside. For example, perhaps you think, “There’s not much I can do about my career until my boss shapes up and does something.” Or you might say, “Things would be different for me if only my spouse were to behave differently.”

In these cases you are relying on an external force to make change happen. But any mentor worth his or her salt is quick to point out, “Nothing will change until you change.” The truth is, you are 100% responsible for you! Any questions?

2014 ACTION IDEA: Take responsibility. Rely on yourself. Set your own priorities. Change occurs more effectively when you say, in essence, “Things must be changed and I am the one who must initiate the change. I must, in fact, change myself first.  There are things only I can do which will have the desired payoff for me.” Motivate yourself by getting excited about your goal quest.

2. Individuals change best when their objectives are specific. Maybe this is stating the obvious but let’s be clear: We do more when we have a purposeful direction. Once we have a specific goal, we see change occurring more readily. 

Why? Because specific objectives permit us to seek specific feedback on how we’re doing. General objectives such as “I want to get ahead” or “I want to be somebody” keep you from knowing whether you’re succeeding or failing because they set no goal criterion.

2014 ACTION IDEA: Putting performance measurements, time limits, real milestones and actual rewards in each goal makes it specific and easier to determine whether it’s being achieved or not. And knowing that a desired change is taking place can feed your personal satisfaction.

3. Individuals change best when there is personal commitment. “Oh, I’m committed to making the changes necessary to reach my goals” you tell yourself. 

But face it: It’s more difficult to change in a vacuum. It helps to have feedback.

2014 ACTION IDEA: Tell others. Share your hopes, your dreams and your goals. Other people will be glad to give you feedback, support and ideas. And the more specific you are in detailing your aspirations, the more specific and informative that feedback can be. And by making the commitment “public,” you become more emotionally involved and that also helps you stick to it.

4. Individuals change best when changes are timely and gradual. While the idea that revolutionary change comes dramatically in a flash of brilliance is appealing, life seldom happens like that.

Change takes time. Individual change takes patience and time. Achieving the kind of 2014 goals I hope you’re setting these days won’t be finished tomorrow. (If it is I’d like to hear about it.)

2014 ACTION IDEA: Be patient. Most changes require a series of events to occur in some evolving way. Granted, we can help some or all of those events to occur, but even then the magnitude and complexity of great goals demand shifts in attitude, values, policies and procedures – and that takes time and careful planning.

 

There’s more … much more. Obviously. Whole books been written, entire careers have been build upon goal-setting and outcome-achieving strategies. 

But that’s plenty enough for right now. My short-term TGIM goal for today was to put in your hands some proven-in-action solutions you might implement immediately to keep your 2014 Resolution/Goals process on track. 

Hope you found them, at least, worthy of consideration

 

– NOT bupkis. 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

 

P.S.  “A good system shortens the road to the goal” That old-timey publisher of motivational and inspirational wisdom in his Success magazine, Orison Swett Marden (1850-1924) propounded that bit of rousing opinion.