Making New Year’s Resolutions is such a long-standing tradition we may not really think much about what it really means to resolve to do something…and then actually do it!

The word “resolution” has embedded in it the root word “resolute.”

Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary defines “resolute” as: “marked by firm determination: resolved: bold, steady.” The concept of “resolved” is defined as: “to reach a firm decision about: fixity of purpose.”

I know some of you are still fixated on the beginning of the last paragraph, and thinking, with amazement, “She has a copy of Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, and is actually referencing it for her blog in the last dwindling hours of 2010?”

Yes, I still have a hardback copy of that archaic manuscript..and I look at it from time to time when I want something solid and substantial to hold…and a quick definition.

So, back to the point. Resolutions are not to be taken lightly! Not if you value your integrity and your word!

A resolution is a promise.

A New Year’s Resolution is a promise you make to yourself. Promises are important to keep. They speak to your trustworthiness, and your willingness to do what you say you’ll  do.

I therefore believe that we need to think carefully about the promises we make for 2011.

Are you truly willing to keep the promises you make?

Do you know how to accomplish what you say you’ll accomplish?

Do you have the time, motivation, and energy for the promises you are making?

Are you clear about whether what you are promising to do is worth doing, or will it really matter to your life if you succeed?

My personal (and professional) opinion? If your New Year’s Resolutions have to do with getting rich or getting skinny, you may want to rethink it…

Not that these things wouldn’t make a change in your life. They probably would…but it might not be the glorious change you expect!

So, how about focusing on what is really, ultimately, universally important for all of us to focus on in our lives?

If you’ve read any of my blogs, you already know what I’m talking about!

Relationships! If your resolutions for 2011 have to do with improving your relationships with family, friends, and colleagues, then you can’t go wrong. Focusing on relationships is always time well spent…and promising ourselves to prioritize relationships is always a promise worth keeping!

And if you need help with this in 2011…let me know!

Happy New Year to you all!

Coach Char
Next In Life Coaching, LLC
“Never Retire Your Dream!”
www.nextinlifecoaching.com

There is no time of year that reminds us more clearly than Christmas what life is all about!

I use to feel this time of year was just a smidgeon schizophrenic…I mean, really! Santa Claus…and Jesus; Jesus…and Santa Clause? And if you toss in all the other religions, you’re left with a plethora of beliefs that can leave your head spinning!

And then it occurred to me…all beliefs, whether religious or santa-like, have a central core belief!

Life is all about love, connection with each other, and the joy of giving and receiving from each other…pure and simple!

Not only does this realization allow us to settle the head spinning about what the Holidays really mean, but it allows us to see that we are all much more similar than we are different.

We are relational creatures. We thrive on connection. And the only thing which ultimately separates us from each other, and from close relationships with each other, is fear & misunderstanding.

What is there to fear? Nothing with much substance… when you stop to think about it…

And this…is what Christmas reminds us. It reminds us that love and a spirit of giving are more powerful than any other force in the world. The Holidays, in spite of all the commercial hype, are about family, friends, and neighbors coming together to celebrate love.

I re-wrote this blog entry several times, wanting to say something brilliant, but the fact is, the message is simple…and brilliant…on its own!

Enjoy the holidays, however you choose to celebrate them. Love all the people you know, and even those you don’t!

You will never regret choosing love.

And that is ultimately the message of the Season, whether through the spirit of Santa Claus, Jesus Christ, Gandhi, The Buddha,…or any of the other religious or non-religious figures we envision within the context of whatever we believe!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Coach Char
Growing Your Legacy…One Blog at a Time!