Edmunds: Committing to New Year's resolutions

This is the time of year when we begin to tie up the old and prepare for the new. Planning for the new year always gives me the feeling of getting another chance for a do over. I often try to come up with something to enhance the quality of my life. And, sometimes I will even try something new, like the year I decided to read 25 Pulitzer Prize winning fiction books. I succeed, but barely.

Wrapping Christmas gifts found me thinking about the resolutions I would make for this coming new year. I always write my intentions on the first page of my appointment book. This gives me a chance to take a look at the things I committed to do at the start of this year and to review how well or poorly I did.

Sometimes we make resolutions and we don't keep them, and for many reasons. Sometimes life gets busy and we aren't as good to ourselves as we should be. I noticed that some of the things that would enhance my life I failed to stick with this year. So this year I am going to try something new.

While talking to a friend who is a feng shui consultant, he suggested that I make a commitment to doing a thing for 108 days straight. And if you miss a day you must start all over again and begin to count from day one. According to him, 108 is a sacred number and represents a full cycle of spiritual completion. I don't know exactly what that means, but it sounds good. So I plan to try it.

I promised myself that this would be the year that I got more sleep. So far that hasn't happened. So I will begin the new year with getting in bed by 11 p.m. And if I can stick with it for 108 days straight I will consider myself having made a big achievement. There are a number of other things that I plan to include in that list that will lead to better living.

I keep telling myself that I am going to do better with my diet. So under this new system I am committing to eating at least 3 cups of vegetables a day.

Take a look at the resolutions you made this year. Did you stick with them? Have you been promising yourself to move your business forward or create a better exercise and eating program? The 108-day deal seems like a good way to approach the new year. And who knows, maybe this concept will find a permanent place in your life.

Do you want new clients/customers? Perhaps you can commit to doing three things each day for 108 days that will bring in new clients. Maybe send a direct mail piece. Or, make three sales calls each day, or some other form of networking.

Maybe you have been promising yourself that you are going to branch out into other areas of interest. Perhaps write a book, work on a movie project, start a blog or develop a new website. Great: Now commit to doing at least one thing on the project each day. After all, we are only talking about 108 days.

A new year is symbolic of starting a clean slate to begin your intentions. This year give yourself the gift of having a new year every 108 days.

Gladys Edmunds, founder of Edmunds Travel Consultants in Pittsburgh, is an author and coach/consultant in business development. Her column appears Wednesdays. E-mail her at gladys@gladysedmunds.com. An archive of her columns is here. Her website is gladysedmunds.com.