Upgrade Your New Year's Resolution
The setting of New Years resolutions tends to be a rather self-focused endeavor: work out more, eat better, drink less. Considering, however, some of the grave and impending global issues we are facing, perhaps it’s time to shift our resolution-making focus to the greater good.
If you’ve been following me for a little while now, you’ll know that I don’t like resolutions. They’re just too binary: you achieve them and you win, or you don’t and you fail. It’s a ton of pressure to put on yourself on what should be an indulgently lazy public holiday. New Year’s resolutions are also too much of a statement that you did something wrong last year. I don’t like looking back on the past year and thinking about all the things I could’ve or should’ve done better.
In the past I have suggested replacing resolutions with a more creative and productive approach to finding fulfillment and advancement. But this year instead I will rise to the occasion of giving myself a true, good old-fashioned resolution, and I will challenge you, my Tide Risers and friends, to make this resolution with me. Here it is: resolve to support a woman this year.
This support could take a variety of forms. You could:
- give a boost to an early-stage woman-owned business
- play the role of lead cheerleader for a worthy girlfriend who needs it
- fund a cause that directly improves the lives of other women
- make a point of amplifying female colleagues’ voices when they’re not being heard in meetings
- sponsor a Tide Riser to help us ensure that no one is excluded due to financial need
There are so many options for supporting a woman, you almost can’t go wrong with this resolution. You just have to make the decision that you’re going to do it, and look for your opportunity to do so. I am so lucky that I have, through Tide Risers, many opportunities to support other women. If you’re looking for someone to support, just let me know. And then leave a comment below to tell us what your New Years resolution is!