How to Set New Years Resolutions With Growth In Mind
4 life lessons of friendship for your life story
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The ritual of looking back and planning forward at the beginning of a 12-month cycle seems appropriate, which is why New Year’s Resolutions are so popular. Setting New Year’s resolutions is my way of exerting some control over inevitable change.
I assume many people make New Year’s resolutions this year, just like every year, but when I conducted a mini-survey of my friends and family, I found that most of those close to me do not.
How, I wonder, can you even be excited by life without a plan? Of course, I’m sure many people set goals, but there is something so refreshing about creating them in the cold of January when there is only hope for spring and renewal.
I get people’s resistance, though. The word “resolution” means to make a firm decision to do something. In this way, resolutions are a pact you set with yourself, considering what you can do and commit to do. But I play a bit looser with the meaning, considering them as part resolve and part intention.
Even though we think of New Year’s resolutions as a target to hit in a year, I suggest thinking of them more as the roadmap to your overall direction and giving yourself some latitude. Be determined and plan to accomplish them, but recognize that sometimes those resolutions may go from one year’s list to another.
Over the years, I’ve studied experts' tips on achieving resolutions; some of those ideas have been helpful. However, before you can even consider how to reach New Year’s resolutions, you must know what you want to accomplish.
The purpose here is to encourage you to use this time of year to reset, reflect, and determine how to move forward. These tips may set you up to succeed.
Today is mine. Tomorrow is none of my business. Elizabeth Elliot
1. Write down what you’d like to accomplish. Whether you’re an analog or an audio learner, there is something powerful in writing down goals. The tangible act of writing them and then seeing your goals on paper will provide you with clarity. Take the time to establish what you want.
2. Imagine your life. Put your resolutions away for a bit. I know this seems counter to being productive, but allow yourself time to reflect on your resolutions. Why are they important to you? How do you expect to feel if you accomplish them?
3. See your life as an adventure. Do you need to clean the kitchen? How fast can you do it? Is there quicksand underneath your feet that you’ll sink in if you don’t put the laundry away fast? Sometimes, just seeing your life in bite-sized, gamified moments will make life more adventurous. Where else in life can you extend this concept?
4. Make a list of how to fail. What would it look like if you blew reaching your goal? What behaviors would lead to that? Eat a whole bag of chips, drink half a bottle of wine, and binge-watch the entire season of something when you have work to do. If you avoid the fail list, you’re already achieving! This is a clever way to train us to appreciate progress.
5. You did it, now high five! Success can generate success. Set attainable goals each year. Once you reach one goal, carry that feeling of accomplishment forward by setting another. Above all, celebrate those successes when you reach each summit.
6. Enjoy the good ideas for success from others. Here are some I’ve found that have helped.
Do five minutes: Set the timer for five and do as much as possible toward a goal, knowing you can stop when time is up. Often, when I use this method, I work much longer. One case in point is completing this post!
Loop Habit Tracker: A free, open-source app for giving yourself a regular thumbs up when you meet your target.
Intention Paper Ornaments: Put your creativity to use and get insight and motivation with these paper baubles. You can either make them as-is with the instructions included or add a statement of resolution to each. Then, hang them in your house plants or as window ornaments with some yarn to keep them front-of-mind.
Resolutions don’t have to be an annual pressure campaign or a battle with constant defeat. Creating resolutions at the beginning of the year is a handy benchmark for reminding yourself time flies. It’s a way of making the effort to craft your life story because you are worth it.
How are you feeling? Keep track of your mood to see what’s up with you. Check out the mood tracker in our Storied Gifts Shop.
Sherry and Alexandra Borzo together in Lima, Peru
Sherry is the founder of Storied Gifts a personal publishing service of family and company histories. She and her team help clients curate and craft their stories into books. When not writing or interviewing, Sherry spends loads of time with her grandchildren and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
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The shop is a mother and daughter venture for Sherry and Alexandra Borzo of Content In Motion. They both work to help their client's stories sing. The shop is their effort to inspire a focus on healthy minds for everyone through positive thought.