New Year’s Resolution
A lot of people, upward of 90%, will stop pursuing their New Year’s Resolution by February of the same year. Why? They have vague, often overly ambitious, and all-or-nothing goals. If you want to reach your goal, it must be meaningful to you, achievable, and enjoyable. There must be landmarks along the way for you to sightsee and admire. Each day, you must offer yourself opportunities to reflect on your progress and use that inspiration to keep moving forward.
The change you choose to make must be meaningful. The goal needs to be near and dear to your heart, one you will want to love and celebrate. The keyword here is ‘want’, because while we may know it is wise to have a goal that addresses our needs, few are disciplined enough to prioritize boring needs over self-indulgent wants.
In many instances, our New Year’s Resolutions are delusional patches we use to trick ourselves into believing this time we will have the discipline to stay committed to the cause. The patch was always temporary; it was destined to fall off the moment we chose the goal. If we didn’t have the discipline to make meaningful change in the prior 365 days, why would this year be any different?
Discipline is developed. It doesn’t spontaneously enter existence just because we will it so. Instead, we must be intentional, focused, and ready to invest in our future every second of the year. That is a tall order, especially if it is a significant enough change to influence our lifestyle in a meaningful way.
Instead of selecting a New Year’s Resolution that requires a mountain of discipline, choose something that guides you toward living your best life. Pick something you want that will lead you to achieve a goal you need. Keep it simple, measurable, and rewarding. Select something that you can reap the rewards of every day. If the task is too challenging, it will be abandoned, just like every New Year’s Resolution that came before.
Think about something you could achieve in a day. Imagine how it would feel to accomplish it, where it could lead, and the ways it could feed your heart and soul. While it may not sound like much of a New Year’s Resolution to set the bar so low, many set it so high that they were destined to fail before they even began. If we want to take flight, we need wings, but if a plane can’t even reach the right speed, how can it leave the ground? We need to clear all the obstacles from your path, guide you in the right direction, and accelerate at just the right speed to get some air under your wings.
Choosing a short-term New Year’s Resolution sets the year off on the right foot. If the task seems too great, it will feel overwhelming and taxing, causing you to burn through all your fuel before you can even get started. Begin with a win, and use that success to pull you along the path. Once you achieve it, ride the momentum and pick another goal. It can be as simple as selecting the same goal. I would advise choosing the same goal and making small adjustments as needed.
At the core of a successful New Year’s Resolution is not the goal itself, but the discipline you develop as you achieve it. This discipline is the meaningful change, and it will pave the way for you to achieve all future goals.
Keep Your Goals On Track
Shawn is a member of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), Alliance for Massage Therapy Education (AFTME), and Associated Bodywork & Massage Professionals (ABMP).