This year, think reinventions, not resolutions

Jason Zook is the founder of IWearYourShirt and author of Creativity For Sale. This post originally appeared on his blog.

It’s that time of year again. We all do it. We write a list of resolutions and 99.9 percent of us fail miserably at sticking to them. Trust me, I’m as guilty as the next person. But it’s time to shift our thinking.

Instead of resolutions this year, let’s think about reinvention.

Resolutions are short-term fixes. And, unfortunately, they go uncompleted year after year. This cycle of incompletion dilutes the power of making resolutions, and leaves us buying into a broken system.

Reinvention, on the other hand, is a shift in thinking. For most of us, we’ve never actively pursued reinvention. If we’ve gone through reinvention, it probably fell into our laps or was forced upon us. What if this year we chose reinvention?

Starting a new year is powerful

It brings energy. It brings curiosity. It has the ability to feel like a reset button for life.

While I was writing my book in early 2014, my girlfriend told me she was proud of me. At first I thought she was proud of me because I was writing a book. But then she told me that she had watched me go through a reinvention.

For an entire year (before I started writing my book), it seemed that I was on a permanent vacation in Strugglesville, U.S.A. (Not a town you want to stay in too long, by the way.) She watched, and along the way helped me realign my finances, create new opportunities to make money, and address some personal issues that were holding back our relationship. There’s no doubt in my mind that I reinvented myself in 2014.

Now, does that mean I’m Jason 2.0 with a fancy new operating system and shiny new buttons? No. I’m the same t-shirt wearing, stubborn-as-hell, creativity-loving, Calvin and Hobbes-reading, entrepreneurial person. I simply reinvented myself by investing in myself (and by asking for help).

Listen, you aren’t going to reinvent yourself on your own. It’s not going to happen. And unfortunately, you’re not going to lose 20 pounds and eat healthier on your own, either. You need help to become a better, newer, version of yourself.

So what does that mean?

Do you have to hire a business coach? A psychiatrist? A personal trainer?

Sit down and get real with yourself:

• Write down the big things you want to change about your life (personally and professionally).
• Next to each big item you write down, write three smaller tasks that can assist in making the bigger items happen.
• Next to each smaller task, write the names of one or two people who could help you with each specific item. Some of the names you write down might be authors, trainers, friends, family, etc. They might be people who have written about the things you want to change. Buy their books or courses, and actually invest in yourself!
• Reach out to the people you listed and ask for their help with your personal reinvention. You might only hear from one out of 10 people, but that one person could help change your life.

Being healthier, happier, having better relationships, and making more money doesn’t happen overnight and in isolation. You have to be willing to step out of your cave, past yourself, and enlist the valuable insight of other people.

You didn’t get out of shape in 30 days, and you certainly won’t get back in shape in 30 days.

Your business didn’t fail overnight, and you won’t have astounding success overnight.

You didn’t rack up a bunch of credit card debt out of nowhere, so it will take diligence and effort to get rid of debt. (Impending post about this topic!)

Make 2015 a year of reinvention, not idle resolutions. If you need a complete overhaul, then sit down today and make a plan to drastically alter your life. If you need a boost or a shift in thinking, reinvent a small piece of your life.

No matter which direction you need to go with reinvention, make sure you break it down into bite-size changes. Small, actionable tasks can lead to huge, victorious successes.

Read next: Fear doesn’t have to paralyze you