With the beginning of a new year, many people are looking for a fresh start. This is especially necessary after the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and a long year filled with bad habits.
However, we all know that 99 percent of the time, resolutions don’t last long term. And when massive and generalized goals like “lose weight” or “be more productive” are involved, the chance that those goals will actually be fulfilled goes down even more.
This brings up the question as to whether or not it’s actually worth it to make the time and effort it takes to plan out a new year’s resolution.
If you aren’t actually going to follow through with a goal, is it even worth thinking about? For example, a resolution to lose weight is a huge goal that requires numerous dedications. To name the obvious and general ones, it would mean a change in diet and exercise habits. Both are huge changes and oftentimes it’s hard to know where to start. A goal that is too generalized like “lose weight” is inherently set up to fail.
I think the biggest reason resolutions are often unsuccessful is because people are too ambitious with their goals. It’s important to realize that the smaller the change, the easier it will be to fulfill. To continue on with the weight loss example, both diet and exercise can be broken down into smaller goals like “go to the gym four times a week,” “eat all your meals at home,” “run a mile a day,” and “incorporate more fruits and veggies into your diet.” This makes it much easier to tackle and makes it much easier for people to implement these habits to their lives in a way that is practical.
Making gradual and small changes is a much more successful way to engage in change that will improve your daily habits.
I think it’s also important for people to realize that the beginning of a new year is not the only time that you can and should make a resolution.
Undoubtedly, it is a great time to set goals and leave behind the bad from the previous year. However, it is important to keep in mind that, continuing on with the weight-loss example, you won’t reach your ideal weight in a couple of weeks.
However, I don’t mean to encourage anyone to give up on their dreams for the new year. I think that anybody who is able to actually follow through with their resolution is absolutely amazing and has incredible self-control and sense of responsibility.
But for those who find that they have difficulty keeping resolutions, it’s a good idea to start small and specific with resolutions that evolve over the course of the year into something much more significant compared to how it began.
To be honest, this year, although there are many things I would like to change about my personal lifestyle, I didn’t bother even thinking about what my resolution would be. I know that creating a goal at the beginning of the year would be too much pressure on myself.
Personally, I would end up just stressing over the details of it. I instead opt for the much less stressful mid-year resolution when I can focus on changing my life at a time that best fits into my schedule.