I hate the word resolution. It sounds so…dictator-y. And I don’t even want myself to be dictating myself. Meanwhile, goal seems like a kinder, gentler word. I can have annual goals, monthly goals, and goals for a specific project or effort. Heck, I can have hourly goals. I think of them differently than just a to-do list. They can be a bit loftier, but still measurable. And maybe with somewhat squishier deadlines than a task on my to-do list.

You’ve heard of Dry January? My goal was “Damp January,” — to really think about why I’m taking a sip. And reconsidering if it’s not really a compelling one. That idea came from my eldest niece and her friends. Another goal — credit to a client — is to try to connect with my direct reports every day in a positive way. One of my own:  after I write up notes from a meeting or even a family discussion, put them in a smart place so I can find them later. I think I’ll stop there.

I thought these were interesting “tactics to rethink your New Year’s resolutions,” adapted from a piece by Ascend authors Kelsey Alpaio, Christine Liu, and Elainy Mata. And thank you Rick Purnell for publishing these in Animal Health Digest. If you’re inclined to share your ideas, send them my way! We’ll get them in a future issue of the ByLine.

Tip 1:  Create “fresh starts”

Instead of setting goals for the whole year, set monthly resolutions. When you typically set resolutions at the beginning of the year, there is no end in sight. When you set monthly goals, you’re creating fresh start moments for yourself at the beginning of every month, instead of just the beginning of the year. And that keeps you motivated for a longer time.

Tip 2:  Reframe to make it fun

If you just want to adopt better habits or make a change, there’s one thing that you can do to substantially increase the chance of it sticking. You want to have fun. So that means you enjoy the thing in the moment, not just waiting for that magical day months later when you’re going to say, oh yeah, I feel better about myself.

Example: I want to resolve to eat more vegetables. So, the worst thing I could do is think, “I’m going to eat more vegetables because of health benefits.” Instead of boring salads, I’ll think, “Oh, I love the act of researching what ingredients are in season.” Even if something is important or meaningful, you want this goal to be frickin’ fun.

Next week, we'll share the rest of Kenna's three tips!