Right as Rain: Drop the Resolutions, Pick up the Process

Every January I sit down and write my goals for the upcoming year.

And every year, I have tweaked the process.

I still complete a “Gratitude List” of my accomplishments from the previous year — and more importantly, the folks that contributed to them.

That has been one of the best ways for me to celebrate my victories, both large and small. I have struggled with that my whole life. So looking back at something I did 11 months ago that made me proud helps me stay in that positive mindset today.

Furthermore, it allows me to look at what factors contributed to that particular “win.”

But the part of my goal-setting process that has caused the most friction for me over the past three years has been the goals themselves.

I’ve written about the darker side of goals here before.

Even though I believe goals can give us a good target to aim for as well as conjure up the ambition and dedication we will need to accomplish them, they can have the opposite effect.

First, the goals may be arbitrary (“I want to make __ amount of money this year.”) and not tied to a specific purpose. It’s harder to set up a system to go after a certain goal if we just pull it out of thin air.

Instead, if we want to use that positive thinking, it would be better to get more specific. “I want to make ___ amount of money this year by doing ____, so I can ____.”

Secondly, it sets us up for failure. Let’s say you want to sell 1000 copies of your book. If you sell 950 copies, are you a failure? Of course not, you sold 950 books!

But that’s how my mind works and it puts unnecessary stress on the numbers.

Lastly, I personally tend to add an enormous amount of goals to my list as I start writing them.

I currently use columns of Healthy, Wealthy, and Happy. But as soon as I jot down “write a new screenplay” I quickly follow it with a list of other things I’d like to do: “finish book, create first course, launch product, write new book…” and now I have a list as long as my arm of things I want to accomplish in the next 365 days.

And many of them might not be tied to my ultimate mission. Just because I’d like to do it, doesn’t mean I need to focus on it.

This year, I’m changing things.

As I looked back at what made me healthy, wealthy, and happy in 2020, I am focusing on the simple practices and processes that lead me there. Not the numbers.

Why did I save the most money I ever had? Because I automated my investments.

Why did my story coaching business grow exponentially? Because I committed to creating content daily to help people be better storytellers.

What made me happy? Being creative. Writing and directing my own film.

What else made me happy? Taking time to rest and reset. Being forgiving of myself. Watching my daughter experience new things.

So this year, I am doubling down on the systems and processes that led me to those results.

At the top of my goal list, which is much shorter this year, it reads: “WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER THE WORLD IS IN MY WORDS.”

One simple statement that will guide everything I focus on this year.

The more I have written, the better things have happened to me this year. It’s gotten me more business, it’s gotten me awards for my films, and it’s gotten me to create a strong community around me — all of the results I could have wanted to achieve.

But if I just wrote “Win award for short film.” there’s no way it would have happened.

Stop focusing on the results alone.

Instead, focus on the simple steps — the process — and dedicate yourself to it daily.

Then, the results will come. And maybe even some you didn’t expect.

(featured photo via Anna Norwood)

Rain Bennett is a two-time Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, and competitive storyteller with over a decade of experience producing documentary films that focus on health and wellness. His mission is simple: to make the world happier and healthier by sharing stories of change.