Sticking to resolutions brings satisfaction
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As 2020 kicks off, many people reflect upon 2019 to make their new year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, the purpose of these resolutions is defeated because most of the habits will typically be abandoned in a month. New year’s resolutions should be made with an intention to follow through for a rewarding sense of self-improvement.
When a resolution is completed, it comes with a feeling of success for sticking with it for the entire year. Conversely, when a resolution is broken, the possibility of feeling disappointment or shame can arise. This disappointment may eventually develop into pessimism that one can not adopt new habits or achieve set goals. In turn, this loss of confidence means that other new year’s resolutions will be harder to stick with.
In addition to causing disappointment in oneself, failing to complete new year’s resolutions means abandoning positive habits. By setting goals to follow in the first place, one acknowledges that there are poor habits that need to be changed. If these habits are not changed, one may go back to these bad habits. Some resolutions are made to fix habits that are long-held, meaning that resolving them would foster an even greater feeling of accomplishment.
The real reason why it seems impossible to follow through with a new habit is that the goal was not set wisely in the first place. Goals should be made with the intention of being specific and realistic to have the best chance of accomplishing. For example, setting a resolution for going to the gym is too vague. Rather, the number of times to visit the gym per week should be considered. Specificity allows the goal to feel more manageable. But, it should not feel just manageable but actually something that can realistically be accomplished. For example, if going to the gym two times a week seems like a slight challenge, then the goal should be lowered to once a week.
People are given the opportunity to evaluate their past year and acknowledge any areas of growth. By setting resolutions that are specific and realistic, individuals enter the new year with a greater chance of improvement.
