By Sheree Hoddinett
It’s a new year and is it time for a new you? Lose weight, exercise more, get a new job, keep the house cleaner, yell at the kids less, save money, the list goes on. Chances are you have made one or more of these as a New Year’s resolution at some point. Apparently, about half of all adults make New Year’s resolutions. However, fewer than 10% manage to keep them for more than a few months or even less! What a surprise! Alright, I’m already sounding a little (okay, a lot!) pessimistic on this one.
It’s that time when we’re likely to reflect back on the past 12 months, thinking about what went well, what didn’t (probably everything) and how we can do better in the year ahead. Often, this goes hand-in-hand with making resolutions aimed at improving ourselves and our circumstances. The problem with resolutions is that they’re so bloody hard to keep. We wake up on the morning of January 1 or thereabouts if you have had a good New Year’s Eve, with the best of intentions, lots of energy and possibly a plan to tackle the resolutions, but in reality, by March most of these goals are simply a distant memory. Old habits return and life goes on as normal!
Although sometimes hard to keep, believe it or not, in the end resolutions can actually make a big difference to your life. They can set the tone for your entire year ahead and indirectly force you to get clear about taking steps to achieve new success. The big key lies in creating resolutions that promote self-growth and understanding in a structured way, in other words a way to kick your butt into gear without being too harsh on yourself.
New Year's resolutions can be difficult to keep because they can be:
Unrealistic: They can be too general or unrealistic, making them harder to achieve.
Time-bound: They're often made at the start of the year, when people are excited, but the excitement can wear off very quickly.
Peer pressure: People may feel pressure to make a resolution, even if they aren't ready or motivated to change.
Burnout: People may be completely worn out by the end of the year, making it hard to keep their resolutions.
Lack of follow-through: It all sounds good in theory, until you actually have to go ahead with it!
Here are some tips for making resolutions that are more likely to stick:
Pick just one or two resolutions that you might be able to follow.
Commit to a specific action. Choose a goal that you really have your heart set on.
Make it easy. Give yourself a chance to achieve it!
Track your progress. Be accountable to yourself and your resolution and track how it’s going.
Get support. Organise your support crew, whether it be family, friends or even workmates.
Choose resolutions that matter to you. Give it a real meaning and follow through!
One thing to know, is that most of us think that we have to follow our resolution exactly as planned and that any sort of deviation is a sign of failure. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Life is unpredictable and dynamic and things do happen to set it off course. Sometimes, we might have to make changes. Take all those baby steps you need to adjust the changes. Be more specific and precise with the path and directions to reach the goals you want.
Maybe resolutions aren’t just about achieving the really big goals; they’re more about nurturing a positive mindset, something that guides us toward self-improvement. And after the way the last few years have panned out, it can’t really hurt, right?! So, don’t give the room for your brain to doubt and stop yourself being the better version of you.
After all, no changes should ever be confined to a single date, you should be able to do them anytime. If you do choose to go down the resolution path, good luck!
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