Personally, I’ve never been a big fan of New Year’s Resolutions. And since I have become a life coach, I’m even less of a fan of them.

Think about the word ‘resolve’, which is defined by the dictionary on my Mac as “decide firmly on a course of action.”

Sounds like having to pound something into place, doesn’t it? It has a distinct flavor of having to make yourself do something.

Of course, the intention behind a New Year’s Resolution is often positive and supportive. It is usually rooted in a sincere desire to grow and change.

So why do so many of us start out with great resolve, and then, in a relatively short period of time, abandon our resolutions?

It’s possible it wasn’t a true desire in the first place. Perhaps your resolution was established primarily to meet an external expectation; societal, cultural, organizational, familial.

However, I’m becoming more and more convinced that a key reason why most of our resolutions fail is that they are fixed, as opposed to flexible and evolutionary.

We decide on a course of action and then resolve to stick to it.

Imagine taking a hike on a winding path in hilly terrain. Each time you round a bend, you see your world differently. You’re able to see everything from a new perspective. You have new information from which to make potentially different decisions about where you are going.

Reinventions are like that too. They are journeys into unknown and unexplored terrain, the authentic expression of self.

Therefore, you may be missing the joy of adventure, exploration, and possibility, not to mention synchronicity, if you “decide firmly on a course of action” and make yourself stick with it.

I’m not saying that commitment isn’t important. Far from it.

I’m instead asking you to make a commitment to stay tuned into your true self and listen for the guidance of inspiration to help you chart your course, dynamically, in real-time.

The resolution, if there is one, is to keep your connection to your true self and to honor and enjoy the journey of becoming more authentic in expressing yourself, in every area of your life.

How would your reinvention journey be different if you made this commitment to yourself?

Filed under: Being a Reinventer on December 28th, 2007