Marketing campaigns really push New Year resolutions, don’t they? The voices on the radio, television ads, the pop-up on my favorite sites — get those resolutions together, people. And after the holidays, I think we’re all kind of feeling the extra sweets and comfort foods. But, wow, who’s so tired of hearing the messaging “new year, new you!”
For a few years now, I’ve thought resolutions were just… obnoxious.
My perspective of resolutions have always been that they’re this really crazy ideal, almost unobtainable, but you’ll shoot for it and inevitably fail. WHY WOULD I CHOOSE A RESOLUTION TO FAIL AT? Why would you? Why should you?
“But goals are good.” They say.
Oh my goodness yes. Goals are great. But, I’ll strongly support obtainable goals.
New year resolutions feel almost as crazy to me as asking for “world peace” in a world that has never truly experienced complete peace across our earth’s surface. Some nation is always at odds with another nation. It’s a nice idea, but that’s about it.
When it comes to resolutions, I like to ignore them. I don’t want to place unrealistic resolutions on my life. That’s not good for my mindset, health, etc.
Choose a Big Goal
Of course, I believe in having a big goal. This helps to inform your decisions throughout your life. If you decide that you want to write a book, then that’s going to take a lot of time and resources. Or, say, you want to become stronger but you don’t currently workout — this is still an obtainable goal. Perhaps you want to buy a house.
Once you know that something you want, you need smaller goals.
Plan Smaller Checkmarks
To write a novel-length book, you need to have a certain number of words (standard length is about 80,000 words). Therefore, break that down. Could you plan to have a certain number of words per week? What are the obstacles to those goals? How would you need to plan your schedule to create the time you need to write those words? What do you need to say no to so you can say yes to your writing?
To hit a new strength goal, you need to analyze your workout routine. If you don’t have a workout routine, what would work best for your life? How can you push yourself to put in the time, even when you won’t want to? Does that mean working out in the morning? Paying for a 6-month membership? Do you need to adjust your eating to support your strength goal?
To buy a house, you need to figure out what you need to make that happen, whether it’s finances or knowledge or a realtor. If you need to save money, you’ll need to explore your budget and breakdown your expenses. What do you need to say no to so you can say yes to your dream house? Are there adjustments you can make to your lifestyle to save a few more dollars here and there? How much work can you do on a house yourself so you don’t need to hire contractors?
Set Daily Focus
Every day, you’ll be met with the decision of whether or not you want to honor your bigger goal with your smaller checkmarks. Maybe some days, you’ll need to prioritize something else, but more than ever, to make your dream a reality, you’ll need to zero in on the small tasks to step toward your larger goal. It’s not easy. In fact, it’s straight up hard when you’re tempted with some of your other favorite things, whether it’s a snack or another time commitment.
Keep asking yourself, “What do I really want?”
When you have a surprise block of free time, keep it in focus. What do you want? Can you use this time to drive your dream forward?
All that said, don’t be afraid to exercise kindness to yourself when you experience a setback. Those are always a part of the deal. Walk through that setback and then ask yourself (or another wise person) how to adjust. Your dreams are important. Make them happen.
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