My Non-Resolution: Stop with the “Don’t” Thoughts, Start with the “Do” Thoughts

My Non-Resolution: Stop with the “Don’t” Thoughts, Start with the “Do” Thoughts

This week, I was watching “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” with my seven month old.  Yes, I am aware that my son is a little too young to comprehend what we were watching, but I don’t think it’s ever too early to start holiday traditions.  We were snuggled on the couch when some happy little creature in the movie started singing, “Stop with the “Don’t” Thoughts, Start with the “Do” Thoughts”.

I started thinking about how often we say, “But I don’t know how to (fill in the blank with your shortcomings here)”.  This leads me to my point.  I have decided to go with a non-resolution this year.  I am not going to focus on the weight I didn’t lose or the client I didn’t nab.  Instead, I am going to focus on what I did accomplish and the things that are working for me.

We need to stop focusing on our weaknesses and concentrate more on our strengths. By perfecting these strengths, we will realize our potential.  This is not to say that we should pretend mistakes we made in the past didn’t happen.  However, learning from those mistakes is the key.  Admit that it wasn’t the best plan, decide what you can take away from the situation and then move on.  For example: baking bread, putting it on the kitchen table to cool and leaving the room while my 150 lb. Rottweiler pretended to sleep nearby was not my best decision.  Needless to say, if I actually want to eat the bread, I won’t be cooling it on the kitchen table anymore.

This is also a great time to appreciate our existing clients instead of beating ourselves up over the ones we didn’t obtain.  Take the time to thank them.  Send them a note or small gift.  Remember that this current client group is where most of your business will come from in the new year.

This non-resolution does not mean that we shouldn’t be growing and changing in our business and personal lives.  But, we should be doing these things in our own unique way. It is good to be challenged and learn new things.  However, maybe there are some tasks we can outsource.  You may be great at blogging or writing business plans, but proofreading them might not be your strong suit.  Send it on to someone else to give it a once-over (like me, for instance!) and focus on the things you’re good at that keep your business humming.

So, here I am on the brink of a new year.  I’m ready to start my non-resolution.  How about you?