New Year's resolutions are complicated. Most people have a love-hate (or just hate) relationship with them. I personally think that they can be a good thing if you go about these resolutions in a healthy way. I tend to find that at the start of every new year I find new and different ways of re-inventing myself. This is problematic because I never stick with any of my goals, and they are always a little (if not a lot) unachievable. I am now realizing that if I actually want to make some goals to better myself, I have to start small.
So why do you even need to set goals in the first place?
Goal setting is a great way to be as productive as you can be. Productivity levels are directly connected to mood patterns; therefore, if you try to be more productive, your mood can be lifted. As a result of an already uplifted mood, productivity shoots up. According to Tinypulse, research shows that happy people are 31% more productive than their unhappy peers and co-workers. Making a plan for what you want to achieve will get you to step towards productivity and a more cheerful disposition.
Why should you start with small goals?
About half of Americans make New Year's resolutions, and after 6 months, less than half of those people are still following them. If you start with small goals, they’re harder to break. Then, as time goes on, you can add onto your goals and personalize them further to reflect how you’re doing in the present time.
How do you go about setting goals that you’ll keep?
People are more likely to set goals if those goals are legitimately important to them. If you don’t care about your goal, you’ll have no incentive to actually try and reach it.
My resolutions for 2019 started off very intense. I wanted to write in all of my free time, learn to play both the piano and ukulele, read one book a week, sort out what I want my clothing style to be, and participate in as many extracurricular activities as possible. These were only some of the goals I had, and they are completely unattainable all together, as well as not that important to me in the present moment.
Through some thinking (as well as list-making), I have decided that I am going to narrow down all my goals into one that I believe will ultimately help me in school work, productivity, and mental health. This goal is simply to begin making an effort to write consistently. Through writing poetry nightly, working on this newspaper, and keeping up with writing assignments at school, I will be able to build on my writing skills. With improvements being made to my writing quality, I will be more confident and proud of where I am in my life.
Why you should include others in your goals?
If one includes other people in their goals, it can hold them more accountable for trying to reach them. Also, saying goals out loud can help you gain clarity on what accomplishing it will entail. If you share your goals with friends, they can help you tailor your goal so it better suits your needs. Lisa Evans, a freelance writer who covers topics related to both mental and physical health says, “Sharing your progress with others often results in praise for a job well done. This positive reinforcement from your social network can motivate you forward to excel.” If you don’t share your goals with friends, it will be harder to keep yourself accountable and motivated.
Being okay with imperfect progress within goals.
How I often describe mental health is that it’s like a spiral. It’s so very hard to come out of a down period, and I realize that I won’t always be able to keep up with this goal. I believe that the last step of goal setting is being okay if your progress isn’t what you originally expected.
You have power over your life. It may seem like the world is working against you at times, but there is always the smallest thing you can do to regain some control. So, when you’re feeling overwhelmed or out of control, just remember that goal-setting is a wonderful way to regain some normality and motivation, and goals are flexible!
Ursula Denholm