New Year's Resolutions - I hate 'em. I don't need to wait for the new year to make adjustments. I should be doing that the whole year through.

But here's the thing. I'm human. And even when I know the right thing to do I don't always do it (I'm on a journey toward self-improvement just like the rest of us). Therefore, the new year is a good time to refocus, to reprioritize, and recommit.

I'm not about to write a list of New Year's Resolutions, however, because it's just not the way I work. One of the prime lessons I've learned by observing and interviewing successful people is that just because something works for some people doesn't mean it is right for me.

Besides, how many times--can you relate?--have I made a New Year's Resolution, only to drop it after 3 weeks? What's the point? I've found that I work better by making small adjustments over time.

This aligns with the great basketball coach Pat Riley's statement that, "Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better." Other thoughts I've had around this subject include:

Time invested in a worthy endeavor creates proficiency
Small efforts extended over a period of time produce monumental, sometimes even unexpected, results.

So where am I investing my time and effort?

My Not So New Year's Resolutions

Continue to Focus on Total Health

Mental

Read good books.

Emotional

Journal

Continue to pursue emotional wholeness by focusing on what I can control; release those thoughts, feelings, and desires for things I do not control.

Be patient with my children.

Recognize and appreciate natural consequences.

Let others pursue the paths they believe bring them the most happiness, recognizing I’m not responsible for them and their journey. I can be an influence, but never should I act with any degree of control, even mentally.

Spiritual

Church, read scripture, serve, pray daily (multiple times), seek and live by the Spirit.

Spiritual lessons as a family once a week, read from Book of Mormon together nightly as a family.

Focus on being present in every moment.

Physical

Work out daily Mon – Sat. Run, ride my bike, lift weights, hike, play with kids, jump on trampoline, play basketball some Thursday nights, maybe join some Wednesday night games.

Eat well, cut down on the amount of sugar I consume.

Regain my version of a 6 pack by Feb 4 (a little vain, I know. Yet I love the look and feel when I'm in top shape).

Financial

Continue to interview Olympians with the hope of having a book, or at least edited audio interviews, ready by May/June before the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Edit audio interviews already completed.

Consistently deliver more value for clients than they expected.

Blog more.

Pursue alternate sources of income to pay for immediate needs such as braces, debt reduction, etc.

These are the 'plans' I have in the works, things I will continue in the New Year.

If they were New Year’s Resolutions, like I’ve done in the past, they would be too overwhelming. Even trying to do 5 of these things at once would prove to be too much.

Each one of these habits/desires/objectives was born at a different time in life, which allowed me to gradually roll it into the routine. As life has presented new challenges, I've had the opportunity to add new habits and desires into the mix. It wasn’t a conscious process, for which some ‘success experts’ would excoriate me, as they would claim that an unintentional life gets you nowhere.

I don't care. This process works for me. Do I have work to do? Oh yes. But I feel great about the things I'm doing to improve. I feel my time is well invested.

And the successful people I’ve observed show me that being calm and following life's natural flow while maximizing growth, learning, and contribution in the present moment bring huge results.

What are your New Year’s Resolutions?