Forget It.
Can you guys believe the year is finally over? I say finally because while 2018 was overall a great year, I’m officially ready for a fresh start. I bought a gym membership a month early, and I did order a self-reflection journal off of Amazon that if I’m being honest, will probably never use.
The thing about New Year’s is that when the clock strikes midnight, most people think it releases some magical fairy dust that makes us more committed to any future goals. If only it could release some magic that reverses all the money I spent during gluttony season (AKA the holidays).
So what’s it going to be this year? Are you going to finally join a gym? Buy a two hundred dollar juicer and go on a juice cleanse? Maybe you’re thinking of something more radical like starting your own band, stepping out of your comfort zone, and saying “I quit” to your asshole boss.
Been there, buddy.
New Year resolutions are a great idea, but if you’re not careful, they could damage your self-esteem as you move forward in the year. Like everything in life, creating goals comes with rules and a dozen questions.
Are you ready to achieve this goal or are you merely doing it for the sake of others? Is it something you’re passionate about? Are you 100% sure it’s what you want to do? Are you prepared to wake up every morning with this goal in mind? Is it going to make you happy in the long run? If Plan A fails, what’s Plan B? C? D? You need to know what your backup plan is going to be if things don’t assemble how you originally planned.
If not, your confidence will derail as you fail to achieve your goal. Setting goals are not only necessary for a successful life but overall mental health. There’s plenty of science to back that up, but that’s an entirely different article. To avoid any future disappointment in yourself, here’s the one resolution that you need to make this year: promise yourself you won’t make any resolutions at all!
Yeah, I know it’s a new year, new start, new me, yadda yadda yadda.
See, here’s the thing. Research conducted by the University of Scranton found that only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s goals. Talk about a colossal fail.
But why is that?
Think of it this way. A year has 365 days. If your new year resolution is to lose weight or eat healthily, then your obliged to be motivated and eat healthy all 365 days of the year. Sounds worse when I put it that way, huh? I mean, We are only human after all. When we focus on one thing and always keep going back to it, it will eventually drain us.
The best thing about being human is we lack perfection. For example, an In-N-Out opened near the gym I go to, so you know what I do after every workout? Yeah, order a number one with a chocolate shake and animal style fries.
I’m weak. It’s in our DNA. Being motivated every day is not an actual thing! In what world is that possible? There are so many alternatives that can motivate you and don’t require you to tire yourself out.
Here’s what to try instead.
- Instead of waking up every morning thinking I need to lose weight, wake up every morning being mindful of your surroundings, being present.
- Make a bucket list (I have ten, don’t ask)
- Follow monthly challenges that improve your physical and mental health.
- Try a new recipe every month if you want to be a better cook (Be the next Gordon Ramsay)
- Isolate yourself from society and technology three days of the month (camping, retreats, spa weekend)
- Commit to people, not things! Find who uplifts and supports you and make plans with them (coffee, dinner, hiking)
- Say out loud what you’re grateful for every night before going to bed (my job, my spouse, my perseverance)
- Practice self-acceptance (I am worthy, I am loved, I am enough)
Small goals lead to bigger goals! You need to accept everything as is in the present moment. Each day is a new start in which you can begin again and better yourself.
No pressure to reach a goal weight, no pressure to make more money, no pressure to do anything. When you relieve yourself of all that pressure you piled on yourself, you give yourself a chance to relax, to breathe, and to make changes.
Here’s to a blissful, successful, and marvelous New Year! Cheers!
