Welcoming New Heights in 2019

As this year draws to a close, I wanted to do something different and new to start 2019 off so I decided to create a personal branding site because I think it's becoming increasingly important to drive the narrative around your online presence in today's digital society. I plan to offer thought leadership on a variety of professional and personal topics through this blog and I'll update the portfolio page on a routine basis whenever I create content that I think is relevant for others.

So, what else is in store for me in 2019? Well, like most, I've started to contemplate a few of those New Year Resolutions that we all like to come up with in the waning days of the calendar year in preparation for a new start on the first of January ... however, I'm going to take a slightly different approach this time. I don't really like the term 'resolutions' because it seems like empty rhetoric. We commonly define these traditions as something that we resolve to change like an undesired trait/behavior or something that we wish to accomplish like a personal goal. The challenge, as I see it, is that we don't focus on what is actually necessary to achieve those declarations and, invariably, we end up - if we're lucky - ticking one or two things off on a list that probably had many more entries because we lacked the mental stick-to-it-iveness to get them done.

I think a better way of doing it is to re-brand them as intentions because that implies a completely different connotation. When you intend to do something you determine mentally some new action or result. It may sound like just a subtle nuance but I really think it's a monumental one. We tend to lock ourselves in with resolutions because those are usually firm decisions to do or not do a thing whereas intentions are more focused on action and offer us more flexibility in terms of how and when we reach a particular outcome. For example, I used to make resolutions every year with very stringent and specific outcomes. And guess what? I never reached my goals and it made me feel like a failure.

It wasn't until I changed my lens and created an intention of simply doing things broadly that I started feeling successful. I gave myself options in terms of how I was going to reach my goals and I stated an overarching outcome that would be driven by actions. And each of those actions actually made me feel good in the process so it's like I got even more out of the effort.

I believe that our intentions should be a personal thing, almost like a covenant that we make with ourselves, so I won't necessarily be sharing them here for all to see but if you know me I'm sure you'll see my growth during the year and know that it's likely due to the new heights I'm setting for myself. I think I prefer unassuming winks and nods more than overt acknowledgement anyway. Humility over braggadocio.

I wish everyone reading this much success as they journey to meet their intentions this year!