Have you made any resolutions for 2012?

Do they sound like lose weight, quit smoking and get out of debt? Those are rather negative ways to state your resolutions. “Lose,” “quit” and “debt” carry a lot of heavy baggage with them.

Instead of focusing on what you don’t want (i.e., all that baggage), try reframing your thoughts around what you DO want.

For example, instead of saying you want to lose weight, restate it and say you will eat healthy foods or walk for 30 minutes every day or climb Pikes Peak. All of these statements are about positive actions that will lead to relieving yourself of some of your excess weight. Want to quit smoking? Try reframing that to say you enjoy breathing clean air into your lungs or you're redirecting all that cigarette money you're saving each month to a personal trainer or to a retirement plan or some other long term reward for knocking cigarettes out of your life.

Get the picture?

So what can you do if you don’t like making resolutions or cannot seem to settle on anything in particular?

Try this: Pick a word (or phrase) that expresses what you DO want for 2012.

A word? Yep, a word.

I’ve done this for several years, most recently with a great group of artists. Last year’s word for me was FOCUS. I printed out a couple of copies of the word in a fun font and put one in my office and the other in my studio. Throughout the year I reminded myself that FOCUS was my word and darned if I didn’t accomplish a TON of things in 2011 and set myself up for a great 2012.

Of course you need to give it some thought and choose your word carefully. Consider your Vision, your goals and your dreams when selecting your word. Consider changes you might like to make in your behavior or your surroundings or your thinking. Consider what you might like to do differently in your business or your life. Keep it strong and positive. The sky’s the limit!

So, let’s say you want to lose weight. Spend some time really thinking about what it will feel like when the weight has disappeared. How will your clothes feel on you? What will eating higher quality, healthier food feel like? What will your body feel like after incorporating exercise and movement into your daily routine? What will your joints feel like? How will your life be different? If that sort of thinking inspires you, then you might pick a very specific word like “10k” or “golf” or “personal trainer" or something more expansive like “strong” or “invigorating” or whatever is meaningful to you.

One of the great things about a word instead of a lot of resolutions, is you can apply your word to a myriad of situations. When you’re feeling overwhelmed, decide which tasks are in line with your word and work on them. When you’re not sure which avenue to take, ask yourself which choice would support your word. When you’re procrastinating, look at the word and take an intentional step toward it. When you’re weak or feeling like throwing your hands up and walking away, look at the word and let it empower you to move ahead despite the obstacles.

Your word can guide and inspire you. It can be that gentle nudge or kick in the pants we all need over the course of any year. And, it’s a one year relationship. Try doing that with a resolution!

So, do you want to know my word for 2012? Ask me!