How to Turn a New Year's Resolution into a Lifelong Evolution
Another year has passed and you probably haven’t achieved what you have hoped for when making your New Year’s resolutions. What is it that makes these plans so difficult to stick to and leaves us unhappy at the end of each year? Well, for one thing, New Year’s resolutions tend to be too ambitious. Secondly, they are mostly made in a tipsy state when you can’t think straight, let alone plan a whole year ahead. Finally, making plans for a whole year can be demanding and difficult to stick to because of many potential life changes. These problems can be avoided if you follow some of these simple tips.
Don’t tell people about your goals
Psychological studies have shown that once you make your goals public, you are less likely to stick to them. This is contrary to the popular belief that once you say your goals out loud you are more strongly committed to them. As it turns out, this is true when it comes to sticking to your opinion, but it has a directly opposite effect on your goals. Talking about your goals tricks your mind into thinking you’re already a step closer to achieving them because of the reward reaction your body activates.
This does not mean you should take on every goal alone. If you and your friend have been considering going to the gym together, it’s a good thing to have somebody who’s in it with you to help you stay motivated. Just don’t fall into the trap of talking about your goals more than actually working towards achieving them.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment to start
There is a popular illusion of “the perfect moment”. This illusion comes in many forms, such as a “round hour”, the first day of the month, or simply – Monday. Waiting for the right moment to start is the best to do if you wish to procrastinate more, but the worst if you actually want to start. The perfect moment is never going to come, and even if it does, it’s not going to be that big of a deal. Have you ever heard of any successful person talking about “the perfect moment” they started working? Perfect moments don’t just come on their own – you are the one making them.
Get out of your comfort zone
The comfort zone is a beautiful place, but one where nothing grows. If the resolutions you’ve made are challenging, it’s important for you to find a way to get out of this zone as soon as possible. A great way to do this is by taking on the adventure of living alone. Lately, young people tend to leave their parents’ household as soon as they finish university. But moving can be a stressful experience. In order not to make your life a living hell even before you move, you should plan your moving day to the smallest details.
Don’t give up easily
During January, most people start working on their New Year’s resolutions while they are still fresh and rested from the holidays. At this point, these resolutions seem completely achievable. Even so, around 80% of people fail to stick to their resolutions further when February strikes. Regular everyday activities and work obligations are mostly the reason people say they can’t find time to continue working on their NY resolutions. This is one of the traps it’s easy to fall into. In order to prevent this, try continuing no matter what, even if this means changing your primary plan. Instead of exercising three times a week, try to exercise at least once. Don’t feel disappointed if you have to make these changes. It’s important to stay on track and get back to the planned schedule as soon as possible.
Take one step at a time
Making drastic decisions at the beginning of each year is one way to do it, but making small changes to improve year-round has shown to be more effective. A survey on 800 Americans has shown that more than 70% of people preferred gradual, lasting improvement to becoming a completely “new you”. In fact, 29% said making small changes that don’t drastically impact their daily life is what they preferred most.
So, start by writing down your goals once you sober up from all the NY parties and begin working on them – now. Make goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound). Give yourself a reward for achieving every goal. And no matter what – don’t give up.
