Why Make New Year’s Resolutions?
I love this time of year because it’s like a fresh start. I know there are mixed views on setting New Year’s Resolutions. But I, for one, love the idea! I like spending time reflecting on the year before and being thankful for both the good and not-so-good times that brought me to this point.
Then I think about what I can do, with God leading me, to make this an even better year. I think about how I can be the best I can be. I think about how I can be more productive, more healthy, and stronger in relationships with others.
Some people don’t like setting goals that they’re probably going to end up not meeting. But I am the type of person that does well with setting goals for myself. I have a lot of self-motivation, and when I set a goal, I do all I can to reach my goal. However, if it’s a goal that someone else sets for me or something that I don’t really want to do, I’m not as motivated to do it.
What type of person are you? Do you do well with setting goals for yourself and working towards reaching them? Or are you more of the spontaneous type and do what you want to do when you want to do it?
What in the World is a Resolution?
A resolution is a little different from a goal. A goal is something that you try to accomplish, like soccer players playing hard and trying their best to kick the ball into the goal.
But a resolution is a decision that you WILL do something. You’ve made up your mind that you WILL do it. These aren’t just things that you are going to try to do.
You may have some big RESOLUTIONS that you will set your mind to achieve. And then you may set for yourself some smaller GOALS that you will strive to achieve along the way. These goals can be part of achieving your year-long resolutions.
How to Make New Year’s Resolutions and Goals:
When setting goals and resolutions there are a few important things to keep in mind.
1. Keep your goals positive.
You’re not going to be very motivated to keep your goals if they are worded negatively. Don’t say, “I’m so fat. I want to lose 50 pounds this year.” And try not to use, “I hate waking up early. My goal is to wake up at 5:00 each morning.”
Instead, say things like “My goal is to eat more healthy and exercise so I can feel my best.”
Instead of “My goal is to not drink any soda this year.”, try “My goal is to drink more healthy, nourishing drinks like water this year.”
Keep your focus on positive things. Don’t focus on “bad,” negative things about yourself that you want to change. What you can do to be the best you can be?
2. Goals should be realistic and attainable.
Don’t set goals where there’s no way you can achieve them. Set goals that you can achieve within a year. They should not be too challenging that you will give up on trying to achieve them.
For example, it’s probably not realistic to set a goal to lose 50 pounds in a month, but maybe it is realistic for you to lose 50 pounds in a year.
3. Goals should be specific.
Instead of saying things like, “I’m going to be more healthy,” think of what EXACTLY you’re going to do to achieve your goal. Try “I’m going to cut out processed food.”, “I’m going to eat more fruits and vegetables.”, or “I’m going to eat less sugar.”
4. Goals should be timely.
Set a time frame for how long it will take to achieve your goals and when you want to achieve them.
As I said, it is a good idea to set short-term goals, besides your year-long resolutions.
One of my resolutions this year is to be more active.
So, I am starting with completing an exercise program called Athlean-X. I did this program with my husband a few years ago, and it is a great program for building muscle and burning fat! It is supposed to be a 90-day program with workouts 5 days a week. But, for me, that is not realistic. When I have long days at school and don’t get home until 6:00, I don’t always have energy left for doing a workout. My goal is to finish the program by the end of this school year. I know that, realistically, I will work out 2-3 times a week. I’ll build up to working out 5 days a week (these are not super long workouts – maybe 45 minutes).
During summer I will set another activity goal for myself, like walking or running 15 miles a week. So I make different goals each month, or each season that fit in my year-long resolution of being more active.
4. Write your goals down and look at them often!
You’re most likely not going to remember any of the goals you make if you don’t write them down. Write them down, read them aloud to yourself, and share your goals with someone else! You will be much more likely to remember them, and your person can help keep you accountable.
I wrote my New Year’s Resolutions down in my journal. Then I set shorter-term goals for each month related to my resolutions and wrote these goals down in my planner. Usually, on Saturdays, I look back at my resolutions and goals and make my plan for the next week. I decide what I need to do to work towards my goals.
Don’t just write them and forget all about them. Look at them at the beginning of each month, or each week to remind yourself of your goals and make a plan to achieve them.
My 2019 New Year’s Resolutions:
- Read through the Bible.
- Read 2 books a month.
- Start investing money in stocks (I highly recommend the book Rule 1 Investing by Phil Town to learn how to successfully invest in stocks yourself!).
- Eat real, whole foods that nourish my body.
- Be active.
- Spend less time watching TV or playing on the phone and more meaningful time with my boys and being present with them.
- Go on at least one date a month with my husband.
- Be more grateful – keep a gratitude journal.
What are some of your goals for this year? What do you do to set yourself up for success in reaching your goals?
Watching this later than 2019? Read some more tips for setting resolutions here, and watch below for more tips on setting achievable New Year’s Goals and see what my goals for 2021 are.
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