Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change in their lives. The recurring themes each year generally include a more active approach to personal and professional development. Stop smoking, start exercising, eat healthy, more work/life balance, make more money. Sound familiar? Despite the best of intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many of us struggle to succeed at our well-intentioned plans. Regardless, if you haven’t had much luck with keeping resolutions in the past, it’s never too late to turn over a new leaf—and New Year’s Day 2023 is as good a time as any. But before diving head-first into your New Year goals, it is important to take a step back and be realistic about what you want to change and what is possible to change!
It’s all good and well saying you will learn 5 new languages, lose 20 pounds, take up 6 new hobbies, develop 15 new work skills and more all by the end of February but how has that worked out for you in the past? This is a common mistake in aspiration setting; having too many goals and spreading yourself too thin and getting overwhelmed resulting in achieving none. Albert Einstein once said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” so perhaps keep in mind it’s better to tackle one resolution well than fail miserably at multiple ones! Being over-eager and taking a grandiose approach when it comes to resolutions can be a reason for abandonment of these newfound aspirations early on; research shows that a whopping 80 percent of New Year’s resolutions fail within the first month, according to Forbes! Avoid this trap by setting a goal specific to you that is measurable, and possible in a reasonable timespan. While it’s nice to have some external support, by making sure your plans align with your own personal priorities and not somebody else’s, ensures their value.
Naturally, our pledges may focus on areas that lack progress in our lives; health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things but changing ingrained habits is no easy task. Writing down your hopes helps to clarify what it is you want to achieve and personally I am a firm believer in a written account. Writing establishes intention and it forces you to be accurate with your words and thoughts alike. Seeing them in print is a constant reminder to act. I recall in school a parent of my classmate superimposed her face on a model’s body and stuck it to her fridge with the caption “fridge pickers wear bigger knickers’ underneath it. I’m not suggesting you must go that far but you get the point! Print is powerful!
Personally, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. My targets are the same as all the previous days of my life. To stay healthy, survive, learn new things and love. No glitter, no alcohol, no fireworks. Perhaps, the only desire you should have, after making the same New Year’s resolutions year after year, is to set no holy grail and let life happen. Stop the “I must” thought mill turning over all the things you should have done this year that you’ll “definitely do next year”. ‘Goals’, as they are conventionally defined (graduate from college, get a promotion, lose 15 pounds), are limited in the amount of happiness they can produce in our lives. They may be helpful when pursuing quick, short-term benefits, but as guides for the overall trajectory of our life, they are not ideal. Healthy living means being able to respond according to the specifics of a situation not according to a set of rules that have possibly outstayed their usefulness in your life. Being mindful of what, and more importantly, who we have is important. Can I suggest starting a Gratitude Journal to help remind us of what they have to be thankful for and give gratitude for daily because often we are too consumed by that holiday we must go on or those pair of shoes we must purchase that we forget what’s ultimately valuable. So put down your electronics, reach for a pen and look around you. Every day is another day to be mindful that we can all make a difference in someone’s life also.Maybe we need to look at our values and question if /why they are failing us. If you do feel the need to be inspired, here is a quote for you:
‘Spend your money on the things money can buy. Spend your time on the things money can’t buy.” — Haruki Murakami
Just take care of yourself and have a good one!