Do I believe in New Year's Resolutions? OMG, yes!
People have been asking me for weeks: Do you believe in New Year’s resolutions? And my answer is a resounding, OMG yes! Self improvement goals, lifestyle changes and what I call personal transformation projects (PTPs) are the activities I live for.
In fact, PTPs are my signature indulgence; my friends always say “What next, Jerome?”, knowing I’m all about doing new things to make my life rich and colorful and a hotbed for learning.
How to build self worth
Another reason I always do New Year’s resolutions is because they’re great at building self worth: Nothing builds self worth like doing what you say you’re going to do. Following through on a goal is like striking gold. You know how much you love to complete your to-do list on Saturday? It’s like that rush to the 10th power. An example of a project that sent me scaling the peaks of the self-worth mountain was my “Running 5 at 5” resolution a few years ago: I resolved to run 5 miles at 5 a.m. no matter the weather. (Most mornings, it’d be just me and the size double-zero women who didn’t need a resolution, just the threat of being a plain old size zero.) Anyway, by 7 a.m., I’d be king of the world, Leonardo DiCaprio-style. Not because of the endorphins, mind you, but because I did what I said I would do.
My resolution for 2018
So what is my New Year’s resolution for 2018? I’ll get to it in a sec, but first a bit of background. When I turned 45, my teacher and mentor, David McMillan, suggested that I’d hit the “high noon point,” the point where my “sun,” my gifts, were hottest they’d ever be. He recommended that from that point on, I focus on giving back to the world. I loved these instructions, and I have worked hard ever since to apply them to my life. And I'm happy to report the good news: I’ve learned is that serving offers up so many more opportunities than taking.
So in 2018, though it may sound funny at first, my resolution is to allow the spirit of Harriet Tubman to awaken in me. I want to guide people through the wilderness and lead them to a place where (with a nod to Martha Beck) they will lose all shackles that bind and be set free from psychological bondage. Throughout the year, I want people to ask me, “What kind of Harriet Tubman stunt did you pull today?”
Let me say this, too: Some folks believe you ought not share the awesome things you’re going to do with your life because after receiving all the strokes up front, you might bail before completing the task (Derek Sivers does a great TED talk on this concept). But needless to say, I believe in sharing great ideas because it offers an opportunity to build community. If others want in, then you’ve got a party! A movement! A revolution!
I'd love to hear how you might allow the spirit of Harriet Tubman to manifest in you this year. How can your own version of the underground railroad benefit others?
Be peace, be love,
Jerome!