I am sure we all must have enjoyed our time at the New Year’s Eve yesterday. I always loved the idea of spending time with close family and friends, relishing the moments, and spending a cozy time at my home. For some, the celebration part must have felt a little different this year. Apart from celebrations, which makes the new year special is resolutions. Setting goals, making lists, building new routines, and allowing ourselves to dream about the coming year is much more exciting.
“Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings” -Jonathan Lockwood Huie
I don’t precisely remember when was the first time I learned the concept of New Year’s resolutions, but I do remember how everyone around me makes these resolutions every year. The funny story is I never heard of anyone following it, not even me. I am pretty sure this scenario is not new to you at all. So, if these resolutions never worked, what is the point of making them?
Have you ever thought about why these resolutions do not work?
The very foremost reason is these resolutions lack dept. I strongly feel we make resolutions just so we have an answer to the question, “What is your resolution this year?” or just because we think.’ All are making one, let me make it too…!’
The exact definition of the resolution is:
A firm decision to do or not do something.
That’s it.
This is the only reason why just saying “I will lose weight” is forgotten by the 31st of January and By February, nearly half of people’s resolutions go out the window. A resolution is nothing without an executable plan of action.
According to a study, only 19% of people keep their resolutions at least two years after making them, and 77% stick to their pledge for the first week and later, slip out.
So, am I saying that you should abandon your new year’s resolution now and give up already?
Wait up, dear…!!
What to Do Instead?
I suggest, call your resolutions ‘Goals’
The definition of Goal goes by something like this-
The object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
Instead of making a New Year’s resolution make a New Year’s Goal.
There is not much of a difference when you read it, but when you understand this difference you will know that resolutions are vague intentions to do something that you probably won’t keep. And goals are something you will achieve by setting desired action plans. For instance, rather than saying: ‘I will read more books this year’, decide how many books you want to read.
According to the largest study on New Year’s resolutions to date, people who create resolutions that add behaviors rather than erase them are more likely to maintain them for a year. It’s a slight shift that tweaks how you phrase the resolution in the first place — changing “I will quit or avoid” to “I will start to”.
The seemingly simple twist can lead to meaningful outcomes, help people achieve their goals, and make behavior changes that last.
It may not be possible to transform your life overnight, but the study suggests habitual, additive commitments to your goals can result in big outcomes.
What are the possible things you can do to avoid losing directions and being consistent with your goals?
- Throw the word ‘resolution’ out of the window
- Stay away from everything negative and destructing you to reach your goal
- Stick to your plan
- Set system that you will follow
- Trust your inner self
To conclude-
The main reason every resolution fails is that it does not involve an action plan.
The resolutions also aren’t successful because they involve negative language instead of positive determination.
Your goals will determine what your next year would be like. So, if you do not wish to sit here at the same place you are now on 1st January 2022, you better start working up.
You must focus on what you want rather than what you want to avoid doing. That is when the positive shift happens.
You can make positive changes anytime you wish to. You don’t always need to wait for the new year to begin to set your goals. If it’s April 23rd and you find yourself in a rut, all you have to start is with an action plan and a positive lookout.
And the most important thing to remember is,
You can change your life anytime you want
“I hope you realize that every day is a fresh start for you. That every sunrise is a new chapter in your life waiting to be written.” – Juansen Dizon.
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