How to Find Success with your New Year Resolutions :
Happy New Year! It is that time again! Yes, it is time for New Year Resolutions!
Every January, almost everyone talks about new year resolutions. People fit into one or two camps – they either hate or love them.
I love New Year Resolutions. For me, the resolutions are goals for the year. They are either new or carried over from the previous year. It was not always a loving relationship. I loathed it when people asked about my New Year Resolutions. However, my feeling has changed dramatically once I learned how to approach them healthily.
For a lot of us, New Year Resolutions seem to follow the following cycle: set them, dread them or forget about them, can’t accomplish them, villainize yourself or your resolutions, and then before you know it, another January 1st is around the corner. Some people even swear off New Year Resolutions because “it just makes me feel bad about myself” or “it’s too much pressure.” It does not have to be that way!
For those who have not given up on New Year Resolutions, I want to help! Many variables can impact the success of new year resolutions. Here are a few things to consider to help increase the success rate of your new year resolutions!
Visualization – We live in a society that pushes for competition. Hence, we often fall for the trap of visualizing New Year Resolutions/goals as a way to test ourselves or compare ourselves to others.
Instead of seeing your goals as a competition and the success of said goals will determine your ability or worthiness, let them be your friendly guide. Visualize an adventure where the destination is each step you take. The challenges are opportunities for learning and growth. Visualize the friendly guide giving you directions to make the adventure easier. Lastly, visualize how much fun you will have as you embark on this new journey!
SMART goals – I am not referring to intelligence here. It’s an acronym to help you plan your goals. One of the major contributors to a lack of success with goals setting is not having a clear and achievable path. For example, one of my goals for this year is to run more to improve my overall cardiovascular health. This seems like a daunting goal since I am not a runner. However, using the SMART system, the goal seems more manageable.
a. Specific – be specific about your goal. A good rule of thumb is to answer the Who, Why, What, Where, and, When for your goal. In this case, because I am a beginner, I will start with running two to three times a week in the gym or outside if the weather permits.
b. Measurable – Identifying a metric that will allow you to track your progress will help with motivation. It’s like leveling up! I will run for 10 minutes each time I go for a run, and speed does not matter.
c. Attainable – Be sure that the skills required for your goals are attainable. If you don’t have the skills, there are ways to attain them. For example, I know how to run, and consequently, my cardiovascular health will improve as I keep running.
d. Realistic – Often, a goal fails when it is either too high or too low. On the one hand, Goals that are too out-of-reach can seem overwhelming. Goals that are too easy can seem boring or not motivating. I am not going to aim to run for an hour (I am afraid my legs will fall off.). I will run 10 minutes no matter the pace is realistic for me.
e. Timely – giving yourself a timeline will allow for a sense of urgency. Saying I will eventually run enough to improve my health does not motivate me to get going every week. Ass mentioned above, giving myself an unrealistic timeline such as - I will be able to run for 1 hour without stopping in a month is not going to set myself for success. Instead, I will aim to run consistently for at least three months, and then I can reconsider my timeline.
Reduce friction – Another way to increase the success rate of your goals is to reduce “friction,” which refers to anything that will cause carrying out a behavior more effortful. People often find a task much more difficult when many steps are required before the task can be initiated. For example, if I decide to run in the morning before work, I will set out my clothes, shoes, water, and anything else I would need near my bed the night before. That way, the effort required before my run is minimized.
New Year Resolutions can kick start the year with purposed and directions. I hope these tips can help you or someone you know progress with your resolutions. It is a good reminder that you are still successful just by having the intention to carry out your resolution no matter your progress. The destination is the next step you take. Go forth and conquer the new year!
