Happy New Year, Biz Kid!

It’s officially 2015. Have you made your resolutions yet?

After a whirlwind of a year for me personally in 2014—getting married, fulfilling three weeks of jury duty, working on a chapter for a book, and trying to grow a consulting company—I’m looking forward to making some major headway in my personal goals in 2015. But I’ve decided to simplify my resolutions this year to one word. What is it? I’ll tell you in a moment. First, let me explain.

I read a fair amount of coverage on successful business people, and I’ve started to notice a pattern in their habits. The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating series called Tracked that follows executives and entrepreneurs through their days, chronicling their wake-up times, eating habits, and everyday rituals. At first, it seemed to me that their schedules and habits had little in common: some went to bed early, others stayed up late. Some ate huge breakfasts, others stuck with coffee.

But then I realized there was a different common denominator. Every single one of these high-capacity individuals was highly intentional with whatever it was they were doing. They knew what they ate for breakfast. They had a plan for dealing with emails. They had specific times they worked out, read, and made phone calls. It wasn’t so much what they did that they had in common but how they did what they did. Planned, specific, and clear.

So I’m replacing my New Year’s Resolution with a word. One word: intentionality. I want to be an intentional entrepreneur this year, having a clear action plan for my various ideas and initiatives, and going at them little by little everyday. I want to be an intentional friend, making time for the people I care about and not taking them for granted. I want to be an intentional husband, thinking of my wife’s dreams and needs with more forethought. I want to be an intentional citizen, noticing the people around me more and looking at my phone less in public. Intentional. Intentional doesn’t mean perfect. Intentional doesn’t mean cutthroat. It just means I’ll live this year with gusto, doing what I can to bring my ideas to fruition while savoring relationships around me.

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I can’t wait to look back on 2015 and reflect on what happened.

So what is your resolution this year, Biz Kid? Are you like me? Do you want to be more intentional? If so, with what? We’d love to help you achieve your goals.

If you want to be more intentional with your finances, check out our episode on budgeting.

If you want to be more intentional with your entrepreneurial ideas, watch our “Have a Plan, Stan” episode and make a business plan with our free guides.

Whatever you do this year, let us know! Tell us about your resolutions in the comments section below.

Cheers to a year of intentionality, Biz Kid!