Do you really need a New Year’s resolution?

Nowadays it seems as though New Year’s resolutions are a bit of a joke. They never work, and just lead to people being disappointed in themselves. Also, why do we need the start of a new calendar year to start working towards a new goal?

Resolutions

Many of you have probably made a New Year’s resolution before, even if it was only a promise to yourself in your journal. How well did it turn out? Did you end up working out every day, or eating healthier? How about reading one leisure book per month? Unless you are a super-human (and if you are, should I envy you or be glad I’m not you), you have probably not completed a resolution like this. Maybe you’ve even known someone who made a very vague resolution; I’m going to save money, or I’m going to eat healthier. I’m not saying that these aren’t good goals, they just aren’t super user-friendly, and can be very overwhelming.

Why don’t they work?

Perfection. One thing that I have been working on (and you can hold me accountable) is not planning everything perfectly before I start. There’s also the feeling of wanting to do it all. If you’ve never gone to the gym or done an at-home workout routine in your life and make a goal to do a workout every day for 10 minutes, generally you will fail after a few days to a week, and you will feel horrible.

Have you ever thought something along the lines of ‘I have to have _____ before I can….” or ‘I need to do ______ before ____”? I have, and they’re not easy thoughts to get rid of. However, they are lying to you. You can start something without being 100% prepared for everything that might happen. If your goal is to read more, don’t start by buying all the books, because chances are you have a few (or more than a few) lying around that you’ve been meaning to read.

Don’t wait for perfection. Perfect will never happen. If you resolve to wait until everything lines up, just like the pieces of a puzzle, you’ll never get to see what the puzzle becomes, because none of the pieces will fit right. Nothing will ever be perfect. I’m telling you now that there will not be a perfect time to start a new habit. You don’t need to buy the perfect water bottle to start hydrating yourself. Life will move on with or without you.

There’s no time like the present. When we think about starting a goal of some sort, chances are, you don’t start right away. For me, I usually get ideas in the evening, and I tell myself that I’ll start in the morning. This is the same concept behind New Year’s resolutions; it has to be perfectly planned and I am going to start on this date. Why not just start now? I have no trouble writing a story or an essay, it’s just starting it that’s the problem. I just need to do it.

How to make 2017 from now on your best year life ever!

Know what works best for you, but don’t treat it like it’s set in stone! Change is the only constant in our lives. We change and learn and grow every day, and our ideas must accommodate that change.

If you’re the type of person who likes labels, then I am going to challenge you to not make a New Year’s resolution. You can make a goal on December 31st, or January 1st, or May 22nd. Along with that, don’t call it a resolution. To me, that word sounds like it has to be meticulously planned, which puts strains of perfection onto that resolution, making it less attainable, if you are even able to make the perfect plan to start in the first place.

Create specific and reasonable goals. If the goal is something larger, like saving X amount of money for a big trip or working out every day, make sure to set small goals for yourself so you’re not overwhelmed at not succeeding immediately.

 

What are your opinions on resolutions? Let me know in the comments!

Cheers,

Fiona