What if, in order to finally keep your good resolutions, all you had to do was choose them well? To succeed in transforming a good resolution into action, it is better to take only one at a time and think carefully about what you want to achieve. Here is a practical guide on how to define your goals for the coming year.
Take time to reflect
As the name suggests, a good resolution is a decision intended to bring the one making it more well-being and happiness.
One could define this unavoidable New Year's tradition as a commitment to move in the 'right' direction to solve a problem (such as smoking or being overweight) and feel better.
But of course, achieving this wellness goal still requires taking the time to reflect on what is truly important to you.
Instead of embarking on a never-ending list of fuzzy or unrealistic goals, start by thinking about what you really need at the beginning of the year. Between quitting smoking or losing weight, which goal is more important to you? Thinking about your priorities is the first tip for good resolutions.
Set one goal at a time
The reason it's so important to define your needs up front is also because it's very difficult to run several hares at once. The second tip for choosing your good resolutions well is to select only one at a time.
When you really want to keep a good resolution and change something in your life, you have to put all your energy into it. It's best not to scatter your motivation and strength by pursuing several goals at once.
To help you choose your good New Year's resolution, I suggest you think about what you really want to change in your life. This change can be about your health, your family, your relationship or your work... but not all of these areas at once! As I told you above, it's important to prioritize.
Target what you are struggling with the most right now or what you could change to make your life more in line with your aspirations. Focus your efforts on what is most important or meaningful to you today.
Define a specific objective
The third tip for choosing your good resolutions well is to not stay vague or approximate. That would be a guaranteed failure.
To be tenable, a good resolution must be simple, realistic and time-bound.
Did you know that there is a method used in business to properly define these types of goals? It is called the SMART method because it recommends setting a goal:
- Ssimple
- Msustainable
- Ambitious
- Rrealistic
- Temporal
In other words, you should not choose a good resolution that is too complicated, too modest, or on the contrary, unattainable. Nor should you embark on a project without a deadline and whose progress you can't concretely measure.
Set a deadline for yourself and evaluate as objectively as possible the steps and time needed to get there. When we set a goal, we often tend to want everything, right away, and underestimate the means and time we'll need to achieve it, even if we break it down into several steps.
In reality, it is not possible to change your habits quickly and effortlessly. That's why you need to stay lenient with yourself, don't set untenable goals, and be proud of yourself with each step you take, no matter how small ...
Now that you know how to choose the right resolutions, all you have to do is get started!