Through the years we’ve all made our resolutions… and we’ve all failed at some point.
Let’s face it, we are tired of seeing how everyone is making their New Year’s resolution, reading articles about that everywhere, and mostly we are tired of us ourselves not being able to keep our promises and failing a month after we’ve made them.
But no matter how old-fashioned that is and how society and the media made it too big of a deal, we still think about it. And the closer 31 Dec. gets, the more we start making plans in our mind.
Because even if we fail a million times, even if we hate the idea of a New Year’s resolution and have decided not to do that anymore, we still have a little hope.
Even if that year wasn’t the best, or as we expected it to be, and even if we are not satisfied with the outcome of the last few years, we still believe that the next one can be different. Deep down we have that amazing quality that shows up only in dark moments. We have the hope that makes us try one more time. And who knows, maybe 2014 is going to be the change we’ve been waiting for and is going to bring us so many good things.
I also believe it can be so. And you should too, because this time we will analyze why things didn’t turn out for the best with the last resolutions we made and how to try a new strategy.
Why New Year’s resolutions usually fail?
The goals we set are too big.
Okay, we want a change. But it can’t happen all of a sudden. Big changes need time and it usually happens through achieving the small goals first.
We want too many things at once.
The number of our goals is the next problem that prevents us from succeeding.
We do it involuntarily.
Lately even making New Year’s resolutions has become a habit of ours. The fact that we’ve failed a few times already (didn’t keep our promises for the new year) makes it harder to do it right this time.
On a subconscious level our mind has accepted the idea of failing again and won’t be surprised after the past disappointments. And everything that doesn’t engage our focus and isn’t done consciously, is meant to fail.
Everyone else is doing it.
The fact that everyone around us – and all the people on the Internet and TV too – is doing it again, is failing almost every year and doesn’t seem to be bothered by that, makes us take all this frivolously.
The fact that we haven’t written our goals on a piece of sheet doesn’t mean we don’t plan any changes. We have them in our mind and this is often because the whole idea of becoming a new person in the new year is so popular. And even if it’s not that important to us, society makes us do it unintentionally.
So even if we want to do it right this time, we will still have the wrong idea of what the whole process means.
We aren’t motivated enough.
And without the stimulus and momentum we can’t achieve much.
We go back to our old habits not long after New Year’s Day.
After a month or so, when the holiday fever is gone and we are back to our everyday life, where everything seems so mundane and a big change just doesn’t fit in, we tend to slowly leave our new goals behind.
We do what we’ve always been doing. – We do the same things we did every time for the past few years and yet are disappointed when the result is the same.
Haven’t made a proper step-by-step plan. – Instead, we just rush into January expecting to have an extreme makeover and leave all our bad habits in the past year.
9 Reasons Why This Year Will Be Different
This can be the best year of your life so far only if you decide so. You can do these small changes and implement them into one big strategy:
1. Have a definite desire to change.
Want it bad enough to be ready to make sacrifices.
2. Have 1-3 big goals.
3. Make a well-planned step-by-step schedule.
For example, you can make a plan for each month of the following year and do your best to stick to it.
4. New source of motivation.
Find something new that will keep you constantly motivated and inspired. Obviously the stimuli you’ve used so far are not strong enough to keep you going.
5. A vision of success.
Spend time everyday visualizing your progress and the final result. Have a positive picture in your head and accept success on a deeper level first.
6. Engage other people.
Pay for a gym membership for the next 6 months or give money to a loyal friend and tell him to give them back to you month by month only if you stick to your plan. In a nutshell, make it hard for you to quit.
7. Keep a journal.
Journaling provides a structured space for self-reflection. It allows you to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences, leading to a better understanding of yourself.
Writing down your thoughts can help clarify your ideas. It allows you to organize your thinking and gain insights into complex issues or emotions.
Over time, journaling can contribute to personal growth and development. It allows you to track changes in your mindset, values, and goals.
Here are 100 journal ideas for the new year you can use for inspiration.
8. Be mindful and aware.
When you reach your comfort zone and are close to your old habits, think of the reasons that made you start at the first place. Realize how important it is for you to finish what you’ve started.
9. Enjoy it.
It’s the biggest transformation you’ve made so far. And this is the best year of your life. Only happy days are ahead of you. Be grateful for everything and don’t forget to enjoy it.
Are you excited? What will your motivation be?
Share your thoughts, ideas and plans for the new year in the comments below.
