The temptation exists throughout each year, but in the first few weeks of a New Year it becomes especially difficult to deal with what I call “Idea Addiction”. Whether you call it goal setting, making resolutions, or turning over a new leaf…we all usually begin each year with some sense of “looking forward” and with a determination to make this year better than the last. I include myself in this club, so please understand I didn’t come to burst your shiny New Year bubble. (One of my 2010 resolutions is to hone my paper airplane making skills.)

I’m sure we would all agree that a large percentage of our New Year goals only last until about the 3rd week in January…IF they even last til all the New Year confetti hits the ground. (Not YOURS, of course, but the other people ). Even if we’re optimistic we can agree that there will definitely be SOME of these grand goals that will NEVER come to pass. My purpose here is not to discuss perseverance. (But if that’s what you need then here’s a great movie. and, yes, that is Sam from Lord of the Rings.) My purpose is to ask “Why do we start each year this way?”

Because we believe that making a decision could start our life on a different course? Yes, I believe that.

Because we can use all the experiences from the previous year to grow and accomplish more this year? Yes, that also sounds good.

Because “if we fail to plan, then we plan to fail”? Yes, but you just saw that on your church marquee sign so it doesn’t count.

Now, these are all great reasons and I can see myself in each of them, but let me suggest another reason: I believe that we are addicted to new ideas. I don’t know if it’s the relief that comes from abandoning the last idea or the hope presented in the new idea…but there’s just something about it that charges us up. I know that part of it comes from the sincere belief that we possess the discipline and ability to reach our goals and as a result improve our situation in some way. Of course, none of us WANT to fail, so we start with a mind made up to succeed.

This addiction is also seen outside of the arena of New Year’s resolutions (or “commitments” if you think that raises your batting average). In our businesses, churches, and organizations we are constantly trying to think of ways to expand our effectiveness. How often do we send out that big bad memo only to find ourselves breaking our own rule the next week? Or maybe you’ve been in situations like I have where a boss makes some emphatic declaration beginning with “From now on…” or “Starting today…” and you can feel a silent consensus around the room that seems to whisper “Don’t worry, he’ll forget he even said all of this in a day or two”.

“Regardless of who you are or where you work…we all experience this cycle of going from idea to idea to idea.”

Here are a few quick thoughts on Idea Addiction:

The Temptation: To be an idea machine.

The Consequence: All we ever do is dream.

The Alternatives: 1 – Generate ideas in moderation. 2 – Monitor your brainstorming as a surplus of ideas can sometimes be a waste. 3 – Mandate that you take at least ONE WEEK between conception of an idea & execution of the idea.

Break the cycle. Stop living from idea to idea. Do something with one of those genius ideas you have stored away in the recesses of your mind. Do something.