Have you ever been quizzed about your New Year’s resolutions? Were you asked if you’ve decided to quit smoking, work less, eat healthier or exercise more? If so, how did this make you feel and what is your standard response?

We all know that good intentions are rarely successful, and yet we keep making them or at least keep being asked about them. Year after year.

As a matter of fact, I myself stopped defining “New Year’s resolutions” many years ago. Because I was not very successful at keeping them. I found this irritating because I’m used to achieving my goals and making changes on a regular basis. Why not do it at the turn of the year?

The answer seems simple. When I personally decide to accomplish or implement something, I give it my all and roll up my sleeves with great passion. In other words: I take action. And this is true regardless of the season. Such important decisions can be made and tackled on February 15, June 3 or November 25. Step by step, at my own pace. I don’t look at the calendar. I don’t say to myself, “Oh, that would be a nice New Year’s resolution. I’ll save it for December 31st. No. I start right away. And I don’t put it off until next Monday either. Why is that? Because once I realize I have this wish, desire or goal, there really is no point putting it off. Why should I? Essential success factors are my profound will, my conviction that it is right and my sense of purpose. This motivates me immensely and gives me the feeling that I could move mountains.

Which is why, by the end of the year, I would typically have run out of ideas for new resolutions. There was simply nothing left. But since it is “common practice” to make resolutions, I thought about ideas and chose resolutions that seemed logically correct or reasonable. Here’s the catch: I didn’t deeply feel that I wanted to achieve them, I wasn’t convinced by them, and I didn’t see the point of them. The result? Most of the time I had forgotten about them by January 2nd. Sound familiar?

It appears that the end of a year triggers a feeling in many people that “everything starts afresh in January,” and so new resolutions have to be made, which – due to a lack of previous success – are often identical to those of the previous year. At some point, this procedure just seemed pointless to me.

Eventually I decided to use the end of the year, the slowdown and the pleasant silence around me to appreciate the past year, so that I could continue in January. Don’t get me wrong. As an entrepreneur, I am constantly reflecting on my activities, actions and behaviors throughout the year, making adjustments where and as I feel necessary. But for me, the time around Christmas and New Year’s is a time for inner reflection, contemplation and leisure. This has become established for me and I enjoy it to the fullest.

For me, this just raises the question of how many opportunities we give ourselves throughout the year to listen to our inner voice, which tells us our wishes, goals and desires. Little oases of peace. Just switching off. Get off the hamster wheel. If we’re allowed to enjoy these moments – I call them creative breaks – on a regular basis, then we also develop an eye for what we truly want in life. Regardless of any particular date.

You don’t get creative breaks? Because you don’t take them for yourself? Maybe that would be one last good resolution for 2023. “Incorporating” creative breaks as a farewell resolution from the groundhog trap. That’s when you’ll know the answer to the question, “So, what are your resolutions for the new year?”: “I don’t have any.” Or even better, “I don’t need any.” Because you’re already successfully doing all the things you want or even aspire to do 365 days a year. Doesn’t that sound wonderfully relaxing?

With this in mind, I wish you an implementation-rich and, above all, healthy 2023 with many happy moments as well as (un)exciting creative breaks.

Go for it,

Your Crisis Manager