The air is currently thick with the word “resolution”, and it’s understandable to take the start of a new calendar year to begin again and set intentions to improve ourselves in any manner. However, let’s revise our thinking a little about the word “new.” Being a company that sells refurbished computers, we’ve mastered the technique of finding value in “old” to make it just as good as new. We think the same can be said for New Year resolutions.

Generally people have the mindset that it is a new year, so often the focus is on new habits, redoing yourself into a new person, and dumping the old. It’s thinking like this that has 98 percent of all resolutions broken and forgotten by February 1. Let’s face it, it’s tough to start from scratch. What if instead, we were to take what we already have, and simply improve on it? We’ll call it improving the sustainability of your resolutions… Let’s begin!

Consider this: the vast majority of companies would rather invest in their current employees rather than hiring on someone new. Even when there are challenges with a worker, the cost of hiring new incurs a greater deal of expense and a setback of time with someone who is a relatively unknown commodity. It’s simply more cost effective to invest into a current team member to improve them.

Try doing the same with your resolutions, and ask if there are existing strengths you have that you can improve upon instead of tackling new habits, or flogging away to overcome weaknesses that you may give up on before long. Working on enhancing a strength is likely to be more motivating and more successful as well, because after all it’s something you are doing well at. Simply put, it bolsters the sustainability of your goals and resolutions for the coming year.

It’s like when we inspect a refurbished computer that was once a retired asset, we apply a little scrutiny to see what could be improved upon. This process leads to its ultimate end as a device that has renewed potential in someone’s hands. It’s less expensive than building a brand new device.

Even the word resolution suggests that we re-solve problems with the tools we’ve already been given. And for every refurbished computer that goes into inventory, there’s one less that ends up in a landfill. With our mission to grow a sustainable company, this is just one piece of that puzzle, and everybody’s happy!

So back to personal resolutions… take stock of your strengths first, and examine how they can be improved upon. Training, education, or just simply practicing more using gifts and talents that come naturally often can help make strengths even stronger, and perhaps lift your weaknesses as well. The problem is that we usually feel our strengths will stay that way and they don’t need as much attention. A study even found most people believe that they can change their weaknesses more than their strengths, so they don’t feel they need nurturing. In truth, weaknesses are harder to change, and in the long run, we fail at resolutions designed to fix them. Again, low sustainability.

A final note: You may have noticed we’re taking a close look at the prefix “RE” this month, and it has such great applications when it comes to our world. Perhaps it can also be applied to making improvements in a personal and professional sense as well when we’re making resolutions…

• Reduce - what don’t you need? What can you use less of? And perhaps ask why you have it in the first place? What room will this give you (time and space) by letting it go?
• Reuse - instead of looking to add new things, what things are longer lasting that serve the same purpose? Ask yourself why you feel the need for “new”? What money could you save, and what could you do with that money instead?
• Repurpose - instead of “out with the old, in with the new” try “make the old new again” or “what’s old to me will be new to someone else.” Could it be something that someone else would value more? Could it serve a purpose in some other way? (Like your talents…instead of a brand new career that may end up not being what you had envisioned, how could you use your gifts in a different capacity?)
• Reimagine - have fun with what you have already; if it brought you joy or was encouraging once, it’s time to recast a vision for it; ask for an opinion from someone with fresh eyes to help you

All of these steps are taken when a device comes into our possession. They’re evaluated and tested to help us employ a process that will lead to its destination as a refurbished computer, with a fresh life ahead. And even when it’s determined to be at the end of its life, it’s sustainability is measured in how it can otherwise be recycled responsibly.

We’re pretty sure you deserve to take the same steps in making resolutions as the year 2022 unfolds. Happy New Year, Happy Refurbished You!