Are You Part of This Resolution Craze? Redefine Your Goals
Redefine your goals, not New Year’s resolutions, and why resolutions are hard on the mind and body?
Aim for goals, not for resolutions
Just because it’s a new year doesn’t mean you should have a set of resolutions. I believe, instead of following strict resolutions, you should always have small achievable goals, hobbies and interests in your lives.
A resolution is like saying you want to change something, like quitting smoking. A goal is what you aim to achieve. Goals take more time to plan, but planning helps you know exactly how to reach what you want. Turning resolutions into goals makes them stronger and more likely to happen.
I took the same resolutions for three consecutive years and eventually gave up on taking resolutions. If you ask me, without a doubt, I would say, I’ve become a better version of myself each year without those strict resolutions, I focused more on goals.
The typical thought process after setting the New Year’s resolutions will be like this
What if I fall?
We as humans are wired to have flexible behaviours, we are not robots to stick to a written plan.
There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, “What if you fly? “ — Erin Hanson
The reality is that not every day is meant for intense weight-lifting workouts. Tune in to your inner self, and if a peaceful walk or any plans come out of the blue, go with the flow. Remember, there might be days when you’re not feeling your best.
The key is to stay positive and avoid creating intentional excuses. Listen to your body, stay flexible, and keep pushing forward on your journey to a better life!
It’s all about the mind-body connection.
Fear of being controlled
Whenever we are bound to do something based on resolutions, we as humans tend to fail, as we don’t want somebody (read as resolutions) to take control of us.
We tend to strictly follow the resolutions and we fail sometimes in the mundane life. We end up feeling guilty for not achieving our goals.
So the idea is to give your goal enough time to breathe, not be lazy, and not stick to a strict plan, think about long-term achievements.
I bet, You feel more peaceful and you can take your goal for a longer period.
Peer pressure
New Year’s resolutions in our culture can create a sense of social pressure to fit certain expectations. The fear of judgement can lead to frustration and tends to make us lose ambition, making it harder to bounce back and we end up not achieving our goals.
But I cannot second this statement. Having already announced their resolutions among friends, some individuals feel an inner calling to stick to them diligently.
Personally, I don’t want my goals to be in the limelight, I like to accomplish them at my own pace.
Conclusion
It’s about continuously making small improvements to improve your life in the long run. Defining and achieving small goals can help you to be a healthier happier and better version of yourself. Even a small chore like making your bed after you wake up can make you happy.
Remember, Therapy is expensive but wind is cheap.
Celebrate wonderful you! Do your happy dance more often!
I’m not boasting about myself.
Without any resolutions, I have accomplished a lot in the last two months of 2023 and I am still feeling euphoric about it.
I completed my first Europe trip with very minimal planning, and I even learned to play some notes from Beethoven’s Symphony №9 on my clarinet — a considerable improvement, I must say.
I also joined a personal fitness training centre after a hiatus of two years. But that’s not all: I started delving into the magic of light for shooting cinematic videos, resumed writing blogs after a decade (the last one written a decade ago) — and the most joyous part is that I am currently writing a travel journal with plans to publish a book.
Kindly share your thoughts or insights on this matter in the comment box. I will see you in another article very soon.
Have a fantastic year!
