By now many of you may have made New Year’s resolutions but how many of you have stuck with them? If you have let yours slip, you’re not alone. A 2014 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychology at the University of Scranton revealed that 92% of people do not keep their New Year’s resolutions and only 46% keep their resolutions for longer than six months.
What can you do?
Fostering your resilience can help. Resilient leaders not only bounce back from adversity they also bounce forward to take action that responds to new and ever-changing realities, even as they maintain the essential operations of their organisations (Reeves & Allison, 2009, 2010).
| Why resolutions often fail | Resilience tips |
| We are usually worn out by the end of the year and all the holiday season festivities. We get back to work only to have to catch up on what we left behind. It is draining. | Start each day with an intention. Sit quietly for a few minutes and ask yourself how to do want to feel today and then consider what you will do and what you will say ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to in order to achieve this feeling. |
| We often don’t ask ourselves why we really want to do or change something which can affect motivation. | Begin with the end in mind. What to do you want to achieve as a result of making any change? How do you want to feel as result of it?Setting smaller goals or intentions that can be reviewed weekly or monthly is often more manageable than a yearlong goal. |
| We often firstly reflect on the year past and come from a place of judgement. “Coulda, woulda, shoulda”. This often hinders good feelings to motivate ourselves for the new year. | Review the past year and make note of what your best moments were. If you can’t think of anything, ask others. |
Let building resilience be your New Year’s resolution
The first step to building resilience is to choose to be resilient. This means not only developing your organisation but yourself too. Some tips are:
- Adopt a growth mindset by engaging in personal renewal. Make time for activities that revitalize you physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually as this will give you the energy needed to show up for demanding work. What new activity will you start or continue doing this month?
- Centre your mind, body and spirit. These practices can focus your mind and generate new, out-of-the-box thinking, necessary to solve difficult issues. Free resources can be found at: http://marc.ucla.edu/; www.mindfulnesscds.com; www.tarabrach.com; www.chopra.com
- Seek sources of support. Get involved with more ACEVO networking events this year to get support, encouragement and ideas from your peers.
- Watch your mouth. Use words to create positive environments and resist conversations that reinforce negative views about change. Read further on the use of positive talk to self and team and see examples here.
- See patterns and use the insights for change. Draw on diverse perspectives to make well-informed decisions.
- Quickly blunt the impact of setbacks. Respond to set backs by focusing on what needs to be done to correct things rather than taking things personally.
To build your resilience further, consider asking yourself these questions or giving the list to your coach / mentor to use with you.
Share your resolutions and the impact they are having with us on Twitter (@acevo or @jennyberryacevo).
Jenny Berry is the Director of ACEVO North and Leadership Development, leading the organisation’s Professional and Leadership Development. She is an active volunteer for 2 charities and remains in touch with the world of community transport as a Trustee of Community Transport UK Ltd. She is also a Board member of the Three Rings charity, champion lead of the Leadership 2020 Commission and also sits on the ACEVO Governance Commission.
Upcoming ACEVO Leadership events:
ACEVO Masterclass – Your Life in Balance
Date and time: Thursday 12 February, 9:30 – 16:30
Location: London
ACEVO member price: £250 (Please note: ACEVO members working in Health and Social Care are eligible for a £200 bursary for this masterclass. Please contact events@acevo.org.uk for more information.)
Learn how to use simple, powerful techniques to help you harness the positive impact of stress and eliminate the negative effects.
ACEVO Masterclass – The Language of Influence
Date and time: Thursday 12 March 2015, 9:30 — 16:30
Location: London
ACEVO member price: £250
This is the masterclass for you if you’re looking make your proposition more engaging, inspiring and compelling by improving the use of language. Be the leader you want to be by exemplifying confidence, assertiveness and integrity in your speech.
