New Year’s resolutions have been a social staple for over 4,000 years. It’s believed the tradition began with Babylonians making promises to their Gods in exchange for their good graces. Even though the custom evolved over the years, it always kept a core commitment to maintaining or changing behaviors or values.
Modern-day New Year’s resolutions are predominantly personal improvement goals. Although the proclamations are well-intentioned, U.S. News and World Report have noted that eighty percent of January promises will fail. The undesirable emotional fragments from shattered resolutions have devasting effects on our confidence, contentment, and dedication towards future goals. I believe our fear of failure should not discourage practical steps towards progress; it should inform our success strategy.
Progress is essential for human growth. Research has proven that human beings are happier when they achieve. You can see this when children receive their first “A” on a test, or a team completes a significant project. The achievement triggers dopamine in our brains to make us feel good and often drive us towards more attainment. However, focusing mainly on succeeding can prevent us from realizing the key to continued accomplishment: a healthy ecosystem.
The atmosphere that we live and work in is critical to our health and well-being. Human beings have the power to influence each other in remarkable ways. The impact, often subtle, shapes how we perceive ourselves, our performance, and the places we learn, live and work. A harsh environment that lacks compassion, connection, and joy can be detrimental to our ability to work effectively with others or accomplish our goals.
Before focusing on our ambitions, we must first create a climate that fosters wellness. Shawn Anchor, the Happiness Advantage author, said it best, “happiness is the precursor to success.” We need to focus on what makes us and the people we work with feel good before focusing on our objectives. While a higher salary may provide a momentary dopamine boost, the positive feeling will not be sustainable in toxic conditions. Small behavior modifications that focus on empathy, relationships and joy will be more effective over time. One example is to begin team meetings with a question about how each person feels or what they do over the weekend that they enjoyed. The individual-focused diversion from the usual tasks encourages rapport and kinship that helps reshape the workplace. Over time, small changes like a simple human-focused question before a meeting will inspire you and your team to feel connected, happier, and motivated to achieve. Moreover, joyful workers will live a much less stressful and healthier life.
2020 has been a precarious year overflowing with stress, anxiety, and uncertainty. If there ever was a time when your friends, family, and co-workers needed a healthy setting to persevere and move forward, it is now! So if you are going to commit to jotting down 2021 New Year’s resolutions, I challenge you to begin with a strategy to create an ecosystem that is more connected, empathetic, and happy so everyone is inspired to move forward together.
