New Year’s Resolutions have always fascinated me. I am especially fascinated by the fact that I don’t know of anyone who has actually kept a resolution. I have personally decided to no longer make them for myself.
I find it curious that the most popular resolutions don’t stick… I read that a whopping 88% of resolutions fail. Even though I do not find the latter very surprising, I do find it amazing that 12% succeed. I wanted to know….WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE AND HOW DID THEY DO IT?
After pondering these issues and reading about it a bit, I came to this conclusion: the huge difference you ask? Planning! Of course you knew that planning had to fit somewhere into this topic…otherwise it would be as if a Dentist didn’t tell you to floss, or as if an Accountant said, “just give me an ‘–ish’.”
But yes, surely it is planning. I looked at a list of the most popular resolutions: losing weight, managing stress, becoming healthier, spending more time with family and friends, and I saw the pattern.
Everyone – or mostly everyone – has good intentions, but I’m wondering how often planning plays a role in the resolution process. It seems that if the goal isn’t completely clear, the focus isn’t clear. If you can’t see where you’re going, you’re probably not going to get there (my father would say that it would be like nailing Jello to a wall).
Practical measures are the key. For example, if “managing stress” is the goal, than perhaps committing to a certain number of yoga sessions or meditations each week would make it seem achievable. Basically figuring out a quantifiable measure which supports your goal and creating a plan around it.
There are a few popular resolutions that I took special note of though…”Spend more time with family and friends” or to put it more vaguely “enjoy life more.” In these busy times we can all relate, and maybe we should start there even though this is probably the most challenging. Though I’ve sworn off New Year’s Resolutions officially, I admit, that these are a few goals I’ve done my best to adopt. I might just quietly repeat to myself, when the clock strikes that magical hour as a little reminder.
Happy New Year and I wish you all the best!