By Tina O’Conner

In January of this year, Good Morning America listed the top five resolutions for 2016.  In order, they are:  live life to the fullest, live a healthier lifestyle, lose weight, spend more time with family and friends, and save more and spend less.

Their research also showed the best way to maintain these commitments is to share your resolution with someone.  This person can help to hold you accountable; but more importantly, they can encourage you.  We also discussed changing the word resolution to commitment.

Mid-July is a wonderful time to check in with yourself to see how true you are to the commitments you made in January.  Professionally, checking the status of your goal achievement can have many benefits.  The organization you work for may have one-on-ones.

These may be done weekly or monthly.  The purpose of these short meetings is to set a goal, how to reach the goal, and check in on progress.  Your supervisor or manager acts as an accountability partner.  Again, this can be beneficial or stress producing.

As we discussed a few weeks ago, that choice is completely your responsibility.  It does help to have a supervisor who uses positive motivation and reinforcement.  If you receive negative criticism, find a way to positively make progress.

One of the professional goals I set for myself in January was to stop procrastinating.  I also gave this up for Lent.  I am doing fairly well.  I know that when I procrastinate, I am avoiding a situation that is creating fear.  Fear is not an emotion most of us get excited to examine.

However, when we share our feeling of fear with someone else, it becomes more manageable.  Please remember, fear is an emotion like any other emotion.  And you can manage that emotion, like any other emotion.

Many organizations have an EAP (employee assistance program).  Utilize it.  Get therapy at no charge from a licensed professional.  They can help you sort out what your goals are, help you answer the question if this is a realistic goal, list the steps it takes to accomplish this goal, and encourage you along the way.

Allow yourself to feel vulnerable.  Let that sense of vulnerability help you evaluate the commitment you made to yourself, your family, a volunteer opportunity, and to your career.  This sense of vulnerability will help you make progress and feel empowered.

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Top photo credit: Happy New Year 2016 via photopin (license)