“Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth, or bury my face in the pillow, or stretch myself taut, or raise my hands to the sky and want, more than all the world, your return.”
-Mary Jean Irion
This is a strange way to start an article about my 2021 resolutions. But, as I think about Zero Excuses, and what it means to reach the higher end of human potential – I must also heed the lessons learned from 2020.
Resolutions, to me, must take into account the delight of the “normal” – and force us to reflect on the gift of the present.
I too often hear “I’ll be happy when I do X” or “it’ll be easier when X happens”. I think we’re missing the point, resolutions far too often focus on the end of the journey. The “X” point when you’ve checked off some metric.
2020 has taught me that my resolutions MUST be about the journey. Success in a zero excuses world must be done in small increments, but take moments to celebrate the “normal”, and not delay gratification until the achievement of a set target.
With that in mind, creating resolutions for 2021 has been a unique experience.
Without further ado, here are my 2021 New Year’s resolutions, in nice, neat categories.
1. Personal
Find time to build upon my running – be it in mileage, enjoyment, health, mobility, or shared friendships. While an outcome I’d like to achieve is to cross the finish line in September at the Tahoe 200 (205 miles of running around Lake Tahoe), 2021 success is not about that finish line –rather to thoughtfully and enthusiastically enjoy the journey.
2. Business
We use Traction, so achieve the goals set forth in our VTO – specifically around growth of the company, growth of our people, growth of our processes, and growth of our community engagement. These goals in 2021 are ambitious. They were ambitious in 2020, as well. With a team like mine, you know nothing will be left on the field, so I feel confident pushing them forward in the new year towards growth and development.
3. Family
I want to avoid falling back to pre-COVID habits. Recognizing the positives that came out of 2020, is important, and for me, some of the biggest positives have been centered around my family. Spending more time with them and creating good habits and fun traditions has been refreshing. I want to keep up with breakfast and dinner together on a daily basis, phone-free.
4. Mental/Spiritual
I want to be an advocate for my own personal mental health through healthy habits (3x a week yoga, journaling, and forced time away from work) and build something sustainable (whether just within GadellNet, or in a bigger space) around closing the inequity gap between the way physical and mental health is perceived in the business community. For me, it will be hard to slow down and to create space and intention around this. It’s something I talk a lot with my team about because I find it to be a top priority. I am looking forward to this journey in 2021.
As you look to the next year, it is my sincere hope that you are finding ways to do the things that make you most happy, the things that fill you with a sense of accomplishment, and the things that satisfy your soul.
