2014 is upon us! Hooray!
I really love New Year. More than the countdown or the parties or the sparkly dresses, I love New Year because it is a fresh start. And being the Type A crazy person that I am, one of my favorite things to do every year is to make a list of New Year's resolutions.
And let me tell you, I really do follow through on these. I think it's because I've developed my own way of writing resolutions that doesn't make them seem life-altering or overwhelmingly difficult. I'm not at all into the "new year, new me" mantra. I think of it as a "better year, better me." New Year isn't meant for radically changing yourself. Rather, it is an opportunity to improve who you are. And with the right resolutions, you can do great things.
Here's what I think about when writing resolutions.
(And yes, writing them down or typing them out is key to keeping them!)
(And yes, writing them down or typing them out is key to keeping them!)
Number of Resolutions
For the past couple of years, I've written 12 resolutions- one assigned to every month. I find that easing myself into a change every month keeps me motivated and also makes one resolution sink and become a habit in before I start focusing on another.
Categorizing
Each resolution I make deals with a different aspect of my life. For example, I make one resolution for my health, another for academics, one for friendships, etc. This reminds me to maintain balance- no one aspect of my life is more important than another. This also makes keeping resolutions easier (I know I wouldn't be able to eat super healthy, work out and cut out Diet Coke all at the same time!).
Specificity
For resolutions to stick, they have to be specific. Is there a book you can't finish but feel like you should? A certain food that is unhealthy that you eat too often? A particular habit that causes trouble in friendships or relationships? Now is the time to get these things right. Recognizing things you want to improve on is half the battle of making a resolution. Resolving to work out a certain number of times per week or to turn off your electronics by a specific time every night leave no room for grey area. Either you've made the change you want to make or you haven't. Easy!
Attainability
One of the most common complaints about New Year's resolutions I hear is that they're too big to be attained. You should not resolve to find a boyfriend or get promoted or get into a good college. You have very little control over these things. These "resolutions" are actually not actions, rather, they are events. To make sure your resolution is something you can attain, ask yourself how much control you have over it. If you are the one who gets to make all (or most) of the decision, then it's attainable.
Comprehensiveness
When making multiple resolutions, think about how they fit together. In 2013, one of my resolutions was to spend at least one night per week "letting go" and having fun with friends. Obviously, this would probably be in contradiction with a resolution that involved getting to sleep early every night. Think about how to tweak your resolutions so they fit together and you won't have to make exceptions. Once you let yourself slip once, you're more likely to do it again.
--
The bottom line is that resolutions are personal. No one has to read them if you don't want them to. This means that you can resolve to do whatever crazy, silly, bizarre thing you want!
However, New Year's Resolutions can be more serious. They are concrete expressions of how we are going to take advantage of an opportunity to be happier, more fulfilled and overall better people.
Cheers!
xoxo
For resolutions to stick, they have to be specific. Is there a book you can't finish but feel like you should? A certain food that is unhealthy that you eat too often? A particular habit that causes trouble in friendships or relationships? Now is the time to get these things right. Recognizing things you want to improve on is half the battle of making a resolution. Resolving to work out a certain number of times per week or to turn off your electronics by a specific time every night leave no room for grey area. Either you've made the change you want to make or you haven't. Easy!
Attainability
One of the most common complaints about New Year's resolutions I hear is that they're too big to be attained. You should not resolve to find a boyfriend or get promoted or get into a good college. You have very little control over these things. These "resolutions" are actually not actions, rather, they are events. To make sure your resolution is something you can attain, ask yourself how much control you have over it. If you are the one who gets to make all (or most) of the decision, then it's attainable.
Comprehensiveness
When making multiple resolutions, think about how they fit together. In 2013, one of my resolutions was to spend at least one night per week "letting go" and having fun with friends. Obviously, this would probably be in contradiction with a resolution that involved getting to sleep early every night. Think about how to tweak your resolutions so they fit together and you won't have to make exceptions. Once you let yourself slip once, you're more likely to do it again.
--
The bottom line is that resolutions are personal. No one has to read them if you don't want them to. This means that you can resolve to do whatever crazy, silly, bizarre thing you want!
However, New Year's Resolutions can be more serious. They are concrete expressions of how we are going to take advantage of an opportunity to be happier, more fulfilled and overall better people.
Cheers!
xoxo