As we end the current year and go into the next, we tend to reflect on the past and look into what we want for the future. As EXCITING of a time as this is, we tend to put a lot of pressure and expectations on ourselves with New Year’s resolutions and sayings such as “New Year, New You”
But maybe we should consider a different approach to starting the new year...
A lot of time when we make our New Year’s resolutions, without knowing it, we set ourselves up for failure. We tend to put big goals out there without creating attainable steps to achieve them and it puts us on a path of defeat. Because of this, oftentimes we don’t fulfill the resolutions, giving up, being hard on ourselves, and waiting until the next NYE rolls around to make the exact same resolutions as the year prior... sound familiar?
Making resolutions is not bad to do, let’s just set yourself up for success instead of failure.
First and foremost, be kind to yourself. Instead of sayings like “New Year, New You” let’s say something like “New Year, Better You”
Let’s not look at this next year as having to become a whole new person. Let’s not disregard all the work you have done on yourself in the past, let’s use this next year to build upon it instead.
Release the pressure of having to become a new person. Instead one, look at what you have been doing to improve yourself already and how you can get better at it. And then two, when you think of goals, go deeper and make these “resolutions” as small attainable steps that lead up to the big goals... basically have a plan.
When we make resolutions, our goal is to be a better person, HOWEVER if you make goals that don’t have small attainable action steps, you are then setting yourself up for defeat which, in reality, is DISRESPECT for yourself. This then equals being hard on yourself, feeling like a failure, and in-turn creating the opposite action of becoming a better you. Setting up your resolutions CORRECTLY by having a plan, is true respect for yourself.
TIPS:
- Instead of: “In the new year I am going to start going to the gym every day”. Maybe say: “In January I will start going to the gym once a week, February twice a week, March three times a week and so on…”
- Instead of: “In the new year I will start eating healthy”. Replace that with actual steps: “In January I will not buy any processed foods, in February I will add in a vegetable to each one of my meals... etc.”
Basis of the story, take a different approach to the new year and reconstruct your resolutions to set yourself up for success. Use these tips to become a better version of yourself and the utmost respect for your new year.