How to keep New Year’s resolutions
We’re about to see many people making New Year’s resolutions soon! If you’re like most folks, you’ve likely had the same resolutions for years. Did you make new plans for the future, or are those the same ones you made last year? We’re about to leave the old year and head into the new one with all our hope of better times ahead.
Fortunately, I will show you the tips you need to make changes this New Year’s Eve! Don’t worry. You can make sure this year will truly be different. Just learn the factors that have been stopping you from getting them out of the way. After that, change how you plan your New Year’s resolutions so you’re more likely to make them come true.
We’ll make sure the next year will truly be your year! Before I get into those, I’ll explain how New Year’s resolutions became a “thing” in the first place. Then, I’ll discuss the many reasons why people struggle to make those plans come true. After that, I’ll show you better ways of writing those resolutions, so you’ll have an easier time following them.
Why do we make New Year’s resolutions?
You’re probably familiar with how New Year’s Eve usually looks like. For example, news reports are filled with anticipation for the upcoming New Year’s countdown.
Check social media, and you’ll see a lot of people promising all sorts of things for the coming year. These were the top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2017:
- Lose weight and eat healthily.
- Improve one’s life.
- Make better financial decisions and save money.
- Stop smoking or other bad habits.
- Do more exciting stuff.
- Spend more time with friends and family.
- Work out more.
- Learn something new.
- Do more good things for other people.
- Find the love of one’s life.
Do you see your New Year’s resolution on the list? Have you ever wondered why we do this every year? Believe it or not, people have been making similar wishes for thousands of years!
The first recorded New Year’s resolutions started more than 4,000 years ago by the ancient Babylonians. They followed this custom as they welcomed the new year in March.
Nowadays, we plan resolutions because we see the coming year as full of possibilities. It’s a blank slate, so it’s your chance to fill it with your wishes.
On the other hand, people start the year wishing the next one will be better. At the time of writing, the coronavirus pandemic has lasted for two years, so they yearn for brighter times.
Why is it hard to follow New Year’s resolutions?
Reality often dims these expectations, though. According to Statistic Brain, only 9.2% of people will truly achieve their goals for the new year. Why is this a common trend?
We could trace the reasons back to how our minds work. When we make these wishes, our brains release a substance called Dopamine.
It’s the neurotransmitter responsible for regulating mood and monitoring our brain’s reward centers. Dopamine induces the joy we feel when wishing for a good New Year.
Unfortunately, its effects don’t stay long, so our initial hype to follow our wishes fades along with it. What’s more, the problem stems from our New Year’s resolutions too.
We all want the best for ourselves. That’s why we set the highest goals for the future. That’s okay and natural, but the issues come when the objectives are too difficult or unrealistic.
If you only have Dopamine motivating you, that great feeling about your goals tends to disappear. Then, you realize that your goals are too hard, so your resolutions fail.
How to make better New Year’s resolutions
If your New Year’s resolutions are unrealistic, then you just have to modify them. There are ways to own the upcoming year truly. This is where SMART goal setting comes in handy:
- Specific – You should have answers for the “Who, What, Where, When, and Why” of your objectives.
- Measurable – You should know how your goal will look once you’ve achieved it. You should know how much you want to set aside. Let’s say you want to save money.
- Achievable – Make sure you have what you need to make those wishes come true. If you lack the resources, figure out how you’ll get them. Moreover, learn from the people who reached similar goals.
- It’s fine to set high goals. However, you must realize that everyone has flaws and limitations. See if you can realistically achieve those goals. More importantly, ask yourself if you can truly commit to those objectives.
- Time-bound – If you take your sweet time following your goals, then you’re likely to lose interest. Set a deadline for your long-term goal, and then determine the short-term objectives you’ll need to get there. For example, you want to clean your home deep. It’s safe to assume that you’ll take hours doing it.
Looking at these criteria, you’ll realize that you must limit your bucket list of New Year’s resolutions. If you place too many, you’re less likely to accomplish them.
You should also jot down the pros and cons of your resolution ideas. This will help you see whether your goals are SMART or not. What’s more, it makes your plans “stronger.”
This makes your resolution ideas into something tangible, so it’s a lot easier to commit to them. Whenever you’re getting tired of pursuing them, just look back at that piece of paper.
Other ways to achieve future goals
Many people have been achieving their New Year’s resolutions, so we’ve learned more ways to reach such goals. Read the following for additional tips:
- Start with small steps, so you’ll see early progress in your goals. This can keep you motivated enough to make the biggest steps later. This is why it’s good to use the snowball method to get rid of debts in the upcoming year.
- Take note of your progress by writing it in a journal, so you can see how you’re doing so far. That could motivate you further or notify you that your strategies need to change. If you don’t like using pen and paper, you could try habit tracker apps instead.
- You could take advantage of your dopamine by rewarding yourself each time you get closer to your New Year’s resolutions. Just make sure your incentives don’t get in their way, though. Don’t reward yourself by eating cake if you want to lose weight!
- Talk to your close friends and family about your goals so that they can support you. They could help you improve your resolution ideas and root for you at every step you take towards them.
- You must have a sense of urgency when pursuing your goals, but you shouldn’t be too harsh on yourself if you fail. Nobody ever had a smooth path towards their objectives. Accept that you will stumble from time to time, but make sure you get up and go for your goals once more.
- You must learn and adapt so you have a better chance of realizing your New Year’s resolutions. Remember that your goals are based on the world that’s changing constantly. For example, you couldn’t buy virtual shoes back then. Now that Nikeland launched, purchasing fitness wear in the Metaverse is now possible!
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Final thoughts
I just gave you tips on keeping New Year’s resolutions, but they work at any time. Use them to ensure you get things done, no matter how mundane or serious your goals are.
Motivation only works when you feel like it, but discipline gets things done no matter what. That’s the biggest thing you need to tackle long-term goals!
We often hear that the coronavirus will bring a new normal. Yet, it’s up to you how that would be like. Click here to learn how to make the most out of post-COVID life.
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