STRIDE – reflections

Making a conscious step into a new endeavour or new year can bring the energy and hope of something new, joyful, something fresh, something yet to be defined and shaped. Are you among the 50% of people that make New Year’s resolutions? If yes, what is your experience with keeping them? According to a research study, less than 10% manage to keep New Year’s resolutions for more than a few months.

What then can we learn from the 90% and the 10%? As changemakers we and our STRIDE CoLead alumni know all about the challenges of changing habits and following our resolutions. What does not help? Mainly setting too many or unrealistic goals and / or becoming victims of the “false hope syndrome”: unrealistic expectations about the likely speed, extent, effortlessness and implications of changing behavior.

What helps? Being realistic but specific and working on one thing at a time sets the right objectives.

What keeps you motivated and supports you when times are difficult? Others! Sharing your resolution with others and having a trusted circle of fellow changemakers is one of the strongest factors to keep your resolutions. This is at the core of each CoLead class.

It is especially in difficult times that the power of community is key for keeping one’s resolutions. In this regard we would like to share another meaning of the term “stride” that denotes our identity – at least to some degree.

take something in one’s stride

Deal with something difficult or unpleasant in a calm and accepting way.

‘I told her what had happened and she took it all in her stride’

Oxford Dictionary

This is another invitation to stride also in the coming year. Should you take our two suggestions to stride not only literally but also in their figurative sense: join us at one of our courses.