Happy New Year Family!
Isn’t it worthy of thought that with just a chime on the clock at 12 midnight, the majority of the world is already in 2022, an entirely new year?
The internet has gone viral with thank you’s and gratitude plus lessons learned from 2021. Still, on the internet, you will see people showing the world how much they had changed or improved physically, academically and career-wise in just 365 days.
The question is would you be proud of what you would have accomplished this time next year? Well, the next four quarters is an indication.
So, how do you navigate the new year in the midst of so much uncertainty? Here are some guidelines especially if you’re used to making New Year Resolutions and end up falling short;
Do it for you:
The main thing that you need to remember is that a New Year’s resolution needs to be for you. It should be something that you really want to do. If you set a resolution that you’re not personally passionate about, you could be setting yourself up for failure. Before you decide on a resolution, think about why you’re really doing it. So, pick something that excites you, and not something that’s more like torture than a fun goal.
Choose experiences over behavioural changes:
What sort of things have you promised yourself that you would start or stop doing in previous years? One behaviour change is hard enough, but when you promise that you’ll do several things at once, your chances of succeeding in all of them are slim. Instead of choosing to change your behaviour, you could focus on doing awesome things. And in planning for awesome new adventures, you might achieve those changes you were hoping for. Instead of making a goal to go to the gym three times a week, set a resolution to have run a marathon by the end of the year.
Don’t go over the top:
Do you have ten, twenty or more different resolutions? That’s too many! If you try to do too much at once, you’re going to struggle to get it all done. It might be easier to manage if your resolutions are more of a bucket list for the year. If you have a few experiences that you want to have before the year is over, you can spread them out across the year. But if there’s something you need to work toward, you don’t want to have too many things to juggle at once. Stick to no more than three goals at a time if you don’t want to end up giving up on your resolutions before you get anywhere with them.
Make positive resolutions, not negative ones:
If you decide to change your habits or your routine, don’t bother with giving up something. Instead of denying yourself something, why not add to your life? There are so many ways you can expand your experiences and bring new joy into your life. Take a pottery class, join a book club, start mountain biking or teach yourself to fix cars. You can aim to start doing something different every day, week or month, but it doesn’t have to be a punishment! Treat yourself kindly and do something that will improve your life in a positive way instead.
Do it with accountability partners:
Some people like to do things alone. But if you’re trying to reach a goal, teaming up with someone else can push you to achieve it. When you’re planning your New Year’s resolutions, find someone who has similar goals to you. It doesn’t have to be the same person for each of your resolutions, though. It might not even be someone you currently know. You can get apps for things like your fitness goals so you can team up with other people and get them to hold you accountable.
If you want to make awesome resolutions for the New Year that you actually have a chance of achieving, pick the right resolutions and the right attitude.
Have the happiest New Year. IBIENE wishes you all the best and thanks to you for being a part of the family.
Do you have questions or comments? Do share with us in the comment section.