It’s half way through February, and statistically speaking, you might have already ditched or broken at least one New Year’s Resolution. But you know what? That’s okay! Because you don’t need a calendar year to start new. You don’t need to wait for a certain date to commit to making yourself better!
Most common resolutions:
- Lose weight / eat healthier
- Self improvements
- Better financial decisions
- Quit smoking
- Do more exciting things
- Spend more time with family
- Workout more often
- Learn something new
- Do more good deeds
- Find the love of my life
- Find a better job
All of those are great goals to have, and everyone can do better in at least one of those categories. According to the statistics on New Year’s Resolutions, only 72% last the first week, and just under 45% last the first 6 months! Also, the older you get, the less likely you are to reach your goals and keep your resolutions. So why do we even make resolutions if they are so difficult to keep? Why do we keep trying if keeping them gets more difficult over the years?
First off, all of those resolutions are great, but they’re lacking one big thing: THEY AREN’T SPECIFIC! If you really want to reach your goals, they should be SMART!
SMART stands for: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example, if your resolution is to lose weight, that’s rather vague so you likely won’t achieve it. But! If you say that you want to lose 35 lbs this year, you can do that!
Now, if it’s more difficult for you to chose something super specific like that, but you still want to make goals and better yourself, there are so many other ways of doing that.
Here are some other things that you can make goals that you can keep every year.
- Pick a theme. No, it’s not the Prom and it’s not “Winter Wonderland” or “A Night in Paris” kind of theme. Pick some feeling you really want out of the year. It can be Peace if your life has been hectic and crazy. It can be Productivity if you want to push yourself to the next level. It can be Travel or Change or Fun or anything that you want the whole year to move towards.
- Choose 3 words. This is like picking a theme, but instead of it being rather vague, it’s more concrete. Choosing 3 words to focus your efforts help you map out how you want to live this year. It can be Numbers (to know your finances better or any other number related part of your life), Order (to organize your life, office, thoughts, etc.), and Music (to encourage you to go to more shows or pick up that dusty guitar you haven’t played in months). If picking 3 words is a lot, choose 2. Choosing one puts you more in the theme of the year category, which is also fine.
- Write down 18 things you want to do throughout the year. You can choose 12 so it’s one for each month, but since it’s 2018, why not choose 18 things to do. These are specific, unlike the theme and the words for the year. The less vague, the better. Don’t put down “Eat healthier” because that’s not a single thing. Instead, put down “Eat 3 salads a week for my lunch” or something like that. Write down that you want to run a 5K or adopt a pet. Buy new running shoes or find a better job. Write them down and put them somewhere that you can refer to them so you don’t forget them.
Don’t get me wrong; resolutions are kept by some, and they are great ways of giving yourself a goal. Especially because less than half keep them for 6 months, you might be a competitive enough individual who sees that as a challenge you’re determined to accomplish. But if you’re one who regularly breaks your resolutions, then maybe try one of these other options. You might find yourself more successful in your goals to become the best version of yourself.