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Why I Still Believe In New Year’s Resolutions (and How to Keep Yours)
Sometime around my teen years, I was introduced to the concept of New Year’s Resolutions. I forget where from exactly, certainly not from my own family or home, but I recall understanding that it was a yearly tradition that adults engaged in. It was just something that everyone did, and it was a part of growing up. It was clear from the start that weight loss is a popular resolution followed by a new job/career and maybe even a new home or healthy habit. How close anyone ever came to achieving their resolutions, I cannot recall. But the one thing I do remember is that everyone made resolutions repeatedly in the hopes that the New Year will be different than the last. Inevitably every year, many friends and acquaintances would utter the words “I don’t believe in resolutions” about halfway through the year. Resolutions would be placed on an invisible shelf to be dusted off and reacknowledged the following January.
Nowadays it is more common for me to hear anti-resolution sentiments as the holidays wrap up and the year draws to a close. For many, the end of year week is a complete blur. You know the one – the week that you’re not quite sure of the date or day of the week. For some it is a time of peace, for others it is a time of reflection or spending time with family and loved ones. For me, it has become my “getting a jump start on my resolutions” week. In fact, November and December has increasingly become my “jump start” months.
You see, I still believe in New Year’s resolutions, as old-fashioned as it may sound. As an individual who continuously sets goals, I can understand the momentous feeling around starting the new year with a new beginning. While it can be said, “why wait” to start a new habit or diet or set out to achieve a dream, the very feeling of a new beginning may well be the impetus that some of us needs to make the drastic changes in our lives. Every year around Fall, I reflect on the change I would like to see for myself and in preparation (or anticipation) of New Year’s, I ease myself into all the tasks and habits necessary. This way, I have already started and feel some small degree of success by the time January arrives. Not only does this progress keep me engaged in pursuing my resolutions but I have already established a habit or routine that will keep me committed to meeting goal-related benchmarks. Reawakening after the holidays to put a dozen new habits or routines in place can feel like a chore which doesn’t always invite one to stick to most or all of them. With my “jump start” process, the New Year now brings me a boost of renewed energy.
Here are a few tips I have learned during my “jump start” months:
Pursue Resolutions That You Really Really Want (and That You Can Actually Achieve)
I find that it is best to pursue resolutions that I really want, the kind that I truly hold dear in my heart. and not because I see that other people may have the dream body I desire or luxury items I admire. When you want a resolution that you desire more than anything, you will do anything to get it. You will make positive choices to make sure that you see your goal through to fruition. You may change your daily routine, give up a habit that does not serve you or refrain from spending money on something that you do not need in order to devote it to your resolution stead. The more you cherish a resolution in your heart and mind, the more successful you are likely to be because you will make all the necessary choices to achieve it.
It also helps to pursue resolutions that one can actually accomplish. Setting a goal that is impossible or near-impossible makes it that much harder to keep your commitment and may even discourage you. Making a statement such as “I want to have $1 Mil by the end of the month” or “I want to lose 50 pounds in a few weeks” are unrealistic for the time frames stated. These goals may very well be possible, but it may take more time and planning to do so. It would help to be realistic about a reasonable time frame that is more likely to allow for success.
Start Small
Asking ourselves about all of the changes that we would love to see in our lives can lead to an awfully long list. Some changes may be bigger or more drastic than others, especially if one is starting from scratch. In years past, I found myself making a long list of resolutions and it seemed so overwhelming that I would quit before I ever really started. If you find yourself in the same predicament, here is a tip – Divide big resolutions into a series of smaller steps and make deadlines to meet each of them. This way you are still on the road to success even if you haven’t achieved the bigger goal just yet. Similarly, if you have many goals at one time, try making a list ranking all of your goals from most to least important and tackle the first 3 or so over the course of 3 months or any reasonable time period. When you have completed these goals, move on to the next 3 goals and so on. As the age-old adage goes, slow and steady wins the race.
Be Very Specific About Your Resolutions
Once you have decided on your resolutions, fine tune them so that they are specific as possible. In the past, I have been the biggest offender of making vague goals. “I want to lose weight” and “I want to save money” were standing resolutions for me, year after year. But I never thought about exactly how much weight I wanted to lose or what dollar amount I wanted to see in my savings account. Vague resolutions not only made it difficult to gauge my progress, but I would also grow discouraged because I would find myself in the middle of a goal journey without any end in sight. Instead, I needed to have goals with standards that I could acknowledge such as 10 pounds lost in 2 months or a certain dollar amount to transfer to my savings every payday for 3 months. In hindsight, every vague resolution I have made rarely came to fruition.
Celebrate Your Gains
Achieving your ultimate transformation is no easy feat and only you know the extent of the efforts, time and sacrifice you contribute to working towards your goals. An acknowledgement of your wins, big or small, memorializes your progress. It serves as a reminder of how far you have come and motivates you to continue working hard. Celebrate your gains with a small reward. You deserve it.
Surround Yourself with Things That Encourage You
When you’re working toward something that doesn’t manifest overnight, it helps to have some encouragement along the way. Try posting images that remind you of your goal on a bulletin board at home or keep them for reference on your mobile device. If you spend way too much time on social media (like myself) follow accounts and influencers that promote positive affirmations. Read blogs (like this one 😊), books or magazines that promote empowering messages. If you like to listen to an electronic device while you are working out, commuting to work or drive often, try listening to podcasts or audiobooks that keep you excited about your self-improvement. The point is to expose yourself to motivation in a way that you will truly connect with. In turn, the positive messages you receive will consistently resonate with you.
Forgive Yourself For Those Inevitable Setbacks
As much as we would all love to achieve our goals as quickly as possible and without any issue, life simply doesn’t work that way. Progress often doesn’t happen overnight or exactly as we plan. Everyone experiences setbacks, big and small. It is easy to give up when we fail to successfully achieve a goal as we assumed we would. The best remedy for a setback is not to give in to it but to confront it head on with all the perseverance that you can find within yourself. Acknowledge the setback and your disappointment and as our friends across the pond like to say, carry on. Remain steadfast in your actions or even change your course to avoid experiencing another setback but most importantly, do not give up. Your future self is counting you.
Cheers to you and your resolutions! May this year be your most successful yet!
