Resolutions are Just Fancy Goals

by Rhia Dixon

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Posted on January 8, 2019

I gave up New Year’s resolutions two years ago in favor of mantras. Previous years proved to me that I wasn’t working on anything I “resolved” to do. I came to this realization in 2017. I decided to change my approach, and it has stuck with me ever since.

Write specific goals

First, instead of labeling things I wanted to accomplish as resolutions, I listed them out as specific goals. Specificity is key. This makes the goals measurable with no gray area about what success looks like. My goals have deadlines, they are quantified when applicable, and they are written in the positive because you attract the energy you put out.

Make a high-level plan

Next, once the goals were written, I made a quick high-level plan to accomplish each goal. Each plan included a short checklist of certain tasks that needed to be completed. These tasks are my benchmarks, and I celebrate the completion of each one! Celebrate the victories, no matter how small. Sheeeeeeeeet...I celebrate the completion of the planning phase. You should too!

Determine the motivation

Upon completion of the high-level planning stage, I wrote a mantra that would motivate me to accomplish these goals and stick to my plans. These mantras aren’t just “hit it and quit it” catchphrases. They are stackable, and I have allowed the motivational momentum from one year to carry me to and through the next. The hardest part of this step is figuring out something that applies to all (or most) of the goals for the year...but it can be done!

My Mantras

Ultimately, I will have a remarkable list of awesome mantras that will encourage me to aim high, be productive, and create my legacy.

• 2017: Just do it! What's the worst that could happen?

  This is probably the most valuable mantra to me and my whole life. It lit a fire under me and put my fear of making moves into perspective. It wasn’t that I was necessarily afraid of jumping, I was afraid of failing. Lots of people talk about this, and people get tired of hearing it, but it’s true! The fear of failure is paralyzing. It will keep you from your blessings if you let it. I don’t know about you, but I want ALL of my blessings!

• 2018: Go for it, connect more!

  I have stepped pretty far outside of my comfort zone using this mantra in tandem with “Just do it. What’s the worst that could happen?” from 2017. Muttering this to myself before KCWiT events, company events, and elevator rides has really bolstered my confidence in initiating conversations. Although I’m eager to be engaged, I would usually be far too shy to just strike up a chat with someone. Now, I’m out here doing all kinds of amazing things!

• 2019: Check it off The List!

  This year, I’m going to continue crushing my goals magnificently. I have written out my goals for different areas of my life and created plans/checklists for them using Trello (awesome project management list...like digital post-it notes on a bulletin board). As I complete the tasks on the checklists, I’m doing something nice for myself as a mini-celebration for every victory. It’s important to celebrate your victories, even if it’s something you consider to be small. While the list of things is pretty exhaustive, here are a few of my #Goals for 2019 in no particular order:

  Read 12 Books (don't judge me, I've been busy)
  Speak at 2 tech conferences
  Launch the blog and post something every week (52 whole posts)
  Get a couple of stamps in my passport
  Meet the D&I goals for Kansas City Women in Technology
  Build my app and get it launched by December 1, 2019