New Year”s resolutions are broken more often than most would like to admit. New Year”s resolutions may seem brilliant in the moment, but come March, gym passes go unused, relationships deteriorate and bucket lists remain as long as ever. Oftentimes, the goals people set for themselves at the start of the year fail later on because they are not specific enough, they are too ambitious or there is not enough incentive to follow through. However, not all New Year”s resolutions are set to fail. A simple change in attitude can easily help you avoid putting off your goals another year.
The first problem many struggle with is vagueness, or not setting a “finish line.” These include, “I promise I will exercise more this year,” “I will be kinder to people” and “I resolve to improve my guitar playing.”
Nina Rydalch
The issue with this kind of ambiguity is there is no point at which the goal will be definitively reached. This makes it difficult to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving a goal – making it difficult to find motivation.
To correct this, add a degree of specificity to the resolutions. To do this, evolve the above goals into something like, “I resolve to do 50 crunches every weekday,” “I promise to compliment a stranger twice a week” and “I will practice guitar 20 minutes every other day.”
Ambiguity can hinder a solid New Year”s resolution, but setting goals that are too ambitious can be even more detrimental.
It”s good to seek challenges, but expecting too much from yourself or being unrealistic in what can be achieved in one year can turn a good way to better yourself as a person into a stressful self-imposed expectation. Getting married by September when you are not currently dating, losing 200 pounds by 2017 and reading 1,000 books by April are likely not feasible goals.
Instead, start small. Resolutions like deciding to date more, to eat healthier and to read one book every month are still good, but more achievable, goals.
It is also important to approach New Year”s resolutions with a positive attitude. One way to do this is by furnishing your personal space with empowering pictures or quotes about your goal. These physical objects will keep the commitment fresh in your mind.
In addition to surrounding yourself with reminders of how life will improve, set a tangible reward to give to yourself if you cross your established finish line. This could be as elaborate as your dream vacation or as simple as a night out at your favorite restaurant. The reward shouldn”t be something you stress about, but instead something special you can enjoy upon completing a goal. The best part is, after you’ve celebrated, the next resolutions will be even easier to keep.
Nina Rydalch can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NinaRobin7