By: Aimee Coles, General Member
We may have kicked off a new year, but have you managed to kick any goals out of the park yet? Many of us seem to take advantage of the fresh start and are adminant that this is finally the time we are going to make some positive changes, but research is working against us. If you’re in the 80% to admit to giving up on your new years resolutions by February, there may be a few reasons why.
First off, your resolution may be unrealistic. While most resolutions tend to align with self-improvement, we tend to want to adopt an “all or nothing” mentality, which does not prove to be sustainable for the long term. Good things take time and commitment, so try and begin with smaller, realistic goals. As someone who works in the wellness and fitness space, comparing your progress to others instead of being kind and patient with your own personal success is an absolute confidence killer, and I’m totally not here for it. If you just determine that 2023 is the year you ‘get back in shape’, narrow in on what that means for you, and what steps you need to take to get there - otherwise, it can be super easy to lose sight of that goal, especially if you bite off more than you can chew.
Accountability can also impact your resolution. Some recent research has demonstrated more probability rates when we involve others, which means when we fly solo, we comprise 95% of our success probability. This statistic sounds insane, but just think about it for a second. When you align yourself with people who truly are in your corner, sharing your resolutions with them or gaining support from a professional can help keep you on track while giving you the energy you need to drive your goals forward. (And lets be real, there’s nothing worse than telling someone you’re going to do something and then you never do it - just the thought mortifies me!)
If you’re anything like me, I’d consider myself an ambitious planner and productivity nerd. At work, I can sort, color code, create spreadsheets and make to-do lists on snazzy Etsy templates with my eyes closed. But why is it that in our personal lives, we often don’t see the same significance? How many times have we gone to “wing” something, but thought back and realized if we had a plan from the get-go that it would have gone more smoothly? As old school as it may sound, developing a plan helps to lay out what you need to do while tracking your success along the way. This as a result sets crystal clear intentions so you can absolutely crush your micro goals.
I’m not a fan of the hype of new years resolutions, but I am a fan of setting small, realistic goals for the right reasons. Being able to be open and honest with yourself and understanding what you truly want takes a lot of guts, and is absolutely achievable (not just in January) with the right mindset.