New Year’s Resolutions: Everything You Need To Know
It’s that time of year again! You are confident you can change your lifestyle, get in shape, lose a ton of weight and get rid of all the bad habits that were holding you back for years! And with a piece of paper and a pen, you start writing down your New Year’s Resolutions. This year, you will do it! You will achieve your goals and become a better version of yourself! You’ve got this – we believe in you! And to give you a little bit more boost in your motivation and chance of success, we have put together a simple guide on everything you need to know about New Year’s Resolutions!
Happiness As An Ultimate Goal?
Have you ever heard of the phrase: “Treat the cause, not the symptoms”? If so, you probably know where I am going with it. All of us can get hung up on the things that we feel make us unhappy and set our goals to rectify them. But sometimes the only things that we notice are the things that are most visible. The things that are floating on the surface.
- We think that losing 5kg will make us love our reflection in the mirror.
- We believe that the only way to afford things we want is to earn more.
- We truly believe that receiving flowers from your spouse once a month would change our relationships for good.
The truth is, happiness is the most abstract thing in the world, and your New Year’s Resolutions should not focus completely on the things that you believe would make you happy. Do not make happiness your ultimate goal, and instead concentrate on various different parts of your life than can be improved a little bit. All the small improvements and enhancements in your daily life will add up over time, making you feel a little bit better about everything at the same time, a little bit more confident in the direction you’re taking, a little bit stronger and self-esteemed. This way, happiness is no longer an ultimate goal, but part of the process.
Areas of Life To Consider When Setting New Year’s Resolutions
Establishing what needs change is the first step in setting New Year’s Resolutions that will change your life. And it may be tough to make those determinations from the inside point of view. We get hung up on things, not realising that other areas of life contribute to our ultimate problems or discomforts.
It is important to take a step back and look at the big picture, and then zoom into each individual part of your life to establish which areas need improvement. Writing down all the categories of activities (and non-activities) that make your life what it is, is a great way to start. Consider:
- Health, fitness and eating habits.
- Your professional life and career.
- Your personal relationships.
- Your relationship with yourself.
- Your finances.
- Your hobbies and personal development.
- And many more things.
If you want to get more ideas of what to consider and examples of worthwhile New Year’s Resolutions to set, head straight to our article on 10 Areas of Life To Consider When Setting New Year’s Resolutions.
Top Rule: Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Realistic
If you’ve ever failed to stick to your New Year’s Resolution, it is likely that you were slightly overconfident and overexcited when setting them. I get it! It is easy to feel over-enthusiastic when you’re turning a fresh page. But failure to stick to your unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions is likely to diminish your motivation.
If you are a ‘black-or-white’ type of person, one mistake will make you stop reaching your goal altogether, and you will likely have to weight for the next year to start acting upon your goals again! And how will you make sure not to make the same mistakes when you set your New Year’s Resolutions in one year’s time?
The top rule is to concentrate on the process, methods and techniques to achieve your goals, rather than the goal itself. Read our best tips and tricks on How To Set Realistic New Year’s Resolutions here.
The Most Popular New Year’s Resolutions In The World: Fitness and Weight Loss
According to Discover Healthy Habits, 50% of survey respondents made fitness and exercise their goal in 2021. The number is even higher in 2019 and 2020. 48% of participants admitted they aimed to lose weight!
If you are too concerned with your eating habits, fitness levels and overall health, head straight to our article on New Year’s Fitness Resolutions To Set And To Actually Achieve.
Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick
Now that you have your realistic New Year’s Resolutions in black and white, and have clarity about how you’re going to achieve them, there’s a small technicality! You have to make those processes regular and consistent. In other words, you have to make chasing your dreams and goals into a habit!
To help you persevere and make New Year’s Resolutions part of your daily life, read an article on How To Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Stick? (10 Tips).
Bottom Line
This year it’s different! You are not only setting yourself some great New Year’s Resolutions to improve your life but, if you’re reading this, you are committed to giving yourself the best chance of achieving your goals. And if your goals are realistic and you have clarity on how you’re going to achieve them, the next part is going to be fun! Go ahead and start making things happen!
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