December 31, 2019 Did you know that 80 percent of New Years Resolutions fail by the first week of February?
Yes, New Years Resolutions sound like a good idea, but when is it ever a good idea to set yourself up for failure? Don't believe me? Ask any of your closest friends when the last time they kept their New Years Resolution for the entire year.
It's a new year...a new decade, and it is only natural to want to pledge to make a change for the upcoming year, but before you do that, you might want to think about whether or not you need or want to change anything. Are you happy with what you are doing? If you are, you don't have to change!
Of course, just looking at any type of media (social or otherwise), you will be bombarded with reasons to change: diet fads galore, gym memberships on discount, organizational gadgets everywhere you look promising to help you get and stay organized.
Yes, most New Years Resolutions sound like a good idea, and for 20 percent of people who actually keep their resolutions, they are a good idea; however, committing to change means actually becoming emotionally invested in your resolution. And a New Years Resolution requires an emotional investment for an entire year. This means that you are emotionally committed to your change. It is something that you have thought about, considered the positives and negatives, worked through the process of making the change, looked at the difficulty of the change, and created a pathway to overcome the challenges you will undoubtedly face. FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. The process of emotional investment is overwhelming, and that is why most people cannot keep their New Years Resolutions.
It is far more realistic to set smaller, monthly goals. Short-term goals are designed to set you up for long-term success. They are more easily attainable and allow you to better monitor your progress. They don't overwhelm you with a looming idea of failure. They help increase your self-esteem as you reach smaller, more attainable benchmarks. Meeting short term goals also gets you excited about your success and further motivates you to achieve long-term goals.
So instead of looking at something to change for the entire year maybe instead look at small changes you can make in the short term. Take things one step at a time, and enjoy the journey!
