In previous years, I made a habit of listing down my new year’s resolutions before welcoming the new year. In a few hours, we will welcome a new year, 2020. However, this year, I believe I’ll put a stop to my habit. See, I have noticed that most of my resolutions from previous years, didn’t come to fruition. So, why do New Year’s resolutions don’t work? And what can we do instead?
Your goals must be built around real values you possess. For example, if health and fitness are a value you possess, you may have a gym membership or multiple shoes for different activities. However, if you write down going to the gym more often as a resolution, not because you value it, but because you should, it will never happen. Our goals cannot be set around what we should do, or what society pressures us to do. If we saw it as a priority, as a value, we would have done it sooner.
It’s never as easy as it seems. This one may sound obvious, but it is important to mention. Many of my resolutions in the last couple of years revolved around my behaviors. But the truth is that behaviors aren’t that easy to change; it takes commitment, planning, and often, sacrifice. We have to understand that things come with a price and that everything isn’t as it appears to be in theory.
Thinking big leads to small outcomes. We often think that for these type of things we have to think big, to set big goals. However, often, we have to do the exact opposite. Trying to make many big changes is a sure recipe for disaster. When giving it some thought, our big goals are a string of smaller goals. So, we should think smaller to work our way to the big.
The new year is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the year that passed and make plans for the one entering. This new year is all about opening a clean slate and setting achievable goals. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this matter; there is much more to discover.
Hopefully, this year, both you and I will be able t live up to the expectations and goals we set to ourselves. Good luck and a happy new year!