New Year’s Resolutions should be looked at positively, not as a burden. Learn how to use them for self-reflection and growth in the new year using these 10 steps.
What if I told you that making New Year’s Resolutions is a useful exercise?
What if I told you that making New Year’s Resolutions is still a useful exercise? At least, I think it is. I still believe that the start of the year is an amazing time to take stock of our lives and reflect on what we’ve accomplished, where we are and if it’s where we want to be. We can then consider if we are getting the things we want to do done, moving towards our goals, and prioritizing what’s important to us. Once we have done that, we can determine what needs to change over the next few days, weeks and months to get back on track, stay on the current path or move in a different direction.
A New Year’s Resolution is basically a promise to do something differently in the new year. That being said, New Year’s Resolutions usually involve change and we all know making changes isn’t easy. But, you know, sometimes we just aren’t realistic either when making resolutions. For example, if you wanted to lose weight (and I use that one because it is one of the most popular ones) and you were not able to do so throughout an entire year, why would you think that on January 1st of the following year everything would miraculously fall into place for weight loss to occur? Here’s another popular example, you’ve listed ‘improve my finances and save more’ as a resolution for the past 3 years. Now, if it hasn’t happened yet, what makes you think that this year is the year?
We have to change our approach to the process in order to be successful or we may not get very far. You may already know that there’s a high failure rate when it comes to achieving New Year’s Resolutions, so how can we set ourselves up for success? Here are a few things to try this time around.
1. Change your Perspective Towards New Year’s Resolutions
We call them resolutions, but the exercise is really a goal-setting one. According to Oxford Languages, a ‘goal’ is “an aim or desired result”. So what is the desired result you want for your life in the new year? This is pretty much what we are doing at the start of the year – deciding on the results you want.
Then we need to recognise that many of the things we want to achieve require change in one or more aspects of our lives. I don’t think I have to tell you how tricky habits are to break once created, but it is possible. You need to really want it and you need to be ready to change. Once you are at this place, commit to keeping them. To make it feel more binding, you can even write and sign a contract with yourself. You must believe in yourself first – I believe you can do it.
2. Be Specific About What You Want to Achieve
Do you want to save more? Exercise more? Do more volunteer work? Ok, Great! However, these are very vague. It’s like saying you want to go to Europe, which is a pretty big place, so this is insufficient information for your plan. Now, if you say you want to go to Austria, then we can book a flight because we have a more specific destination. This is what you need to do with your New Year’s resolutions. If you want to save more money, try putting a figure to it and a period of time – do you want to save $1,000 in three months? You’ll find that this also makes it easier to create a step-by-step plan to achieve your goals.
3. Learn From The Past
Have you been setting the same resolution for the past few years? A red flag is waving at you if you find yourself writing the same resolution on your list year after year. Firstly, consider why that is. Why do you continuously put that item on your list every year? Then, consider if you were able to make any progress towards reaching the resolution. Next, if it is something you really want to get done, then think about what you need to do differently. What have been the challenges? Is there another angle you can take that will still get you to your goal? Is your goal even realistic? Answering these questions and following this suggested format might help you in your quest to finally cross a particular resolution off your list once and for all.
4. Limit the Number of Resolutions You Take On
Are you busy? It seems like we all are these days. Given our constantly tight schedules, and how difficult it already is to change, you should be super selective about the number of resolutions you decide to put your time and energy into. From my research, just one or two resolutions at a time are considered practical. The last thing you want is to feel overwhelmed when you look at how many things you have to get done in order to achieve your goals or, equally dreadful, discouraged when what you have to do greatly outnumbers what you are actually getting done. Give yourself the space you need to be successful.
5. Make a Detailed Plan
You’ve written your resolutions and you know where you want to be. Good job! Now we need to figure out just how the heck we are going to get there. Remember that plan I made reference to earlier, well this is it. At this point, we need to schedule some time with ourselves to map out exactly what we need to do to get to our goals. Making a plan means making notes of all the smaller steps we’ll need to take on our journey. If you try to take a big leap from where you are now to your goal, you’ll definitely succeed at failing and we don’t want that.
6. Take Baby Steps
The aim is for you to be successful, so it’s not advisable that you start off too ambitious. Make the steps in your plan challenging, but achievable. You know yourself and your situation best, so be honest with yourself and realistic. Drastic changes to your routine or behaviour will not be sustainable. Incorporating small changes will not only be simpler, but might prove to be more convenient as well. Give yourself a fair chance at creating the change you want by taking it slow. It is already established that a rush to meet resolutions can guarantee that you won’t succeed. It’s one of the reasons we fail at keeping them. Remember, each step will get you short-term gratification, but completing and sticking to all the steps will give you the long-term results you desire.
7. Be Flexible
You might have heard of the saying, ‘Anything that can go wrong, will’. There is no telling what might go wrong. Unless you live in a universe where you have control over everything (and I’m pretty sure you don’t) then you need to prepare for the times when things don’t go as planned. When deciding what needs to be done to make each step happen, also include what you are going to do when the hurdles come. How will you get over them? If you want to go running at 6 a.m., what will you do if it rains? Will you have a back-up routine to workout inside? How will you stay on track? When you make a note of the steps you need to take towards your goal, also note possible contingencies.
8. Round Up Your Support Team
Family, friends, or groups are great sources of support, that is, if you’re comfortable with sharing your resolutions with others. These individuals can provide well-needed words of encouragement and motivation, especially when things get tough. They can also be there for you when you need help and offer honest feedback in areas you might not have noticed. Who knows, maybe your resolution is one in which you can buddy-up and actually have company working on your goal. Be cautious with this though. Not every friend or family member will appreciate what you are trying to do, so choose wisely. There are also online communities where people come together to support each other. You might even be able to find a group in which the members have the same or a similar goal as you.
I’m hoping that my Facebook page for Unfettered Passion will become such a place – a community of support to encourage others along. (Feel free to head on over there and follow the page)
9. Forgive Yourself and Have Patience
Don’t let setbacks make you stay back. Keep pushing forward. There will always be setbacks, but your reaction to those setbacks is what makes the difference. Are you one of those people who can have night-long laments when things go wrong? Gosh, I hope not. It is, therefore, up to you to determine just how long you will take to recover.
Remember to tell yourself, this is just a bump in the road on my journey to my goals. There are going to be bumps, potholes, and anything else you can find in a road. If you let them stop you, you might never achieve your goals. There is no successful person who will tell you that they didn’t hit a snag every now and again. The key is to be persistent and consistent. And when you do stumble, breathe, forgive yourself and get back on track as quickly as possible? For example, you’re on a diet, but only managed to get a slice of pizza today for lunch. Does that mean you should have a cheeseburger for dinner? No! The next meal should be as you planned it.
10. Track Your Progress
The little wins will keep you going. Keep track of your wins and challenges. Documenting the journey will allow you to see how you’re doing and what has been the most challenging areas. Who knows, you might even see a pattern. Writing it down also means that you don’t have to keep it all in your head, free up some brain space, you know. This will also make it easier to reward yourself. You will see where you have done well, really well and not so well. Being able to see how you’re performing might also serve to keep you motivated.
Closing Thoughts
Start when you are ready. Before you go, I think it’s important to let you know that although January is a great time to do self-reflection and plan ahead, it’s not set in stone that it has to be that month. If you don’t feel you are ready to make changes, think about it some more, think about what the benefits of making a change would be and resolve to start when you are ready to commit.
Don’t be afraid to experiment. What works for one person might not work for you, so please don’t compare yourself to others. In my article Self-Knowledge – Because you probably are the authority on yourself I remind readers that they know themselves best. So, although people will suggest things for you to try, at the end of the day, you need to decide what is feasible for you. Continue to try different approaches until you find one that’s a fit for you and aim for persistence instead of perfection.
Choose your own resolutions. Some of us make resolutions based on what others think we should do or what we see others do. This year I am encouraging you to always think about what is best for you. I know we sometimes look at others and think, ‘I want her life’, ‘I wish I looked like her’, ‘Why couldn’t that be me’ – you get the gist. There is nothing wrong with using the achievement of others as motivation, but simply envying what they have or trying to replicate what they did might not be the best move for you. So assess YOUR life, think about what is best for YOU, ensure that YOUR resolutions are tailored for YOU and align with YOUR values! (I hope the caps drive home the message lol).
And finally, think positive. Instead of just listing a whole bunch of things you want to stop doing or avoid, try taking an affirmative approach. List what you need to do to meet your goals. This is a more gentle way to meet your targets that doesn’t feel like punishment. Besides, you know as humans, whenever we are told not to do something is when the temptation to do it might seem greatest. Keep a positive mindset. Get a few affirmations that are aligned with your goals and say them daily.
I hope you found the article helpful.
Are you making resolutions this year?
If you are and you’re not afraid to share them, then feel free to tell us what they are in the comments section. Good luck on your resolutions journey this year!