Why make New Year Resolutions?

“New year, new me”, you have probably heard this phrase being used excessively by people all around you. What exactly does one hope to achieve by saying that?

That’s when New Year’s resolutions comes in. A New Year’s resolution is a promise one makes for the new year, and the goal is to improve life in the coming year.

Resolutions

It can come in many forms, be it a promise to from good habits or to rid bad ones.

Good habits can include eating healthier, spending more time with your family, learning a new language; essentially with the goal of improving one’s own being.

Ridding of bad habits can include quitting smoking , eating less sugary food, etc.

Why make resolutions?

As mentioned earlier, its to improve your life in the coming year! Some see the new year as a clean slate to start over again, thus providing them motivation to stick to their goals for the new year.

Resolutions is a goal that need not be a monumental change in lifestyle, it can be small goals to better your life. In fact having such big goals with no clear steps along the way makes it hard for you to achieve them – Think of it as climbing over a wall; its easier if you have steps to ascend compared to attempting to scale it by itself.

Small goals are arguably more achievable as they are the ‘steps’ along the way towards a bigger goal.

For example, you wish to have a healthier lifestyle. That seems kind of like a vague resolution.  Think about what makes up a good lifestyle. Do you wish to exercise more to achieve that? Or to cook healthier meals at home? Or to eat less sugary stuff?

A big resolution like that consists of many small goals. It will be a lot easier if you focus on the small goals and you’ll inevitably be working towards the big resolution.

Try it Out

• Resolutions can be goals you want to accomplish over a short period of time or long period of time. In the above example, leading a healthier lifestyle is likely a long term goal, and it helps to break that down into short term goals to make it less daunting.
• Ask friends and families about the New Year’s resolutions they’ve made in the past. Which were the ones they have kept successfully? Which were the ones they have failed to keep? Asking them for advice is a good way to start.
• Remember, a New Year’s resolution is about YOU. The idea is to improve your life. A resolution such as losing weight might be made fun of by others, but stick to it as its about YOU and no one else!

Lastly, be encouraging when you notice others struggling to maintain their resolutions, and celebrate when you notice others succeeding!