Are new Years Resolutions Worth Making
New Year’s resolutions are merely goals that are symbolically made for no purpose other than a year change. It is much more realistic to just set goals, starting small and giving yourself a decent timeframe, rather than just declaring “I am going to quit (or start) ____ in 2012.”
New Year’s resolutions are, as stated, symbolic. Instead of waiting for a new year, or if you are currently working on a recent resolution, take a look at it from a real perspective and not a symbolic point of view. You have a much better chance of reaching your goal if you don’t mix it with a holiday tradition. A New Year’s resolution is just that, a tradition associated with the holiday.
With regard to New Year’s resolutions, according toProactivechange.com, 25% fail within a mere week, and only 46% of people have kept their resolutions after 6 months. While the depth and accuracy of the study can be questioned, one thing is certain. As time moves on, the chance of you breaking your New Year’s resolution continues to increase.
If you are looking to set goals and accomplish them, use the tried and true method of giving yourself mental time to prepare. Maybe you want to remove a negative change (such as smoking) or take on a positive change (losing 20 pounds). If you want to quit smoking, the number one method is throwing the cigarettes away. You will need nicotine assistance at first, so grab some gum, a patch, or take up the e-cigarette. If you want to lose 20 pounds, make a note that you will work out 3 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
These are realistic goals to have. When you want to stop smoking, you don’t have to throw nicotine completely out of the picture at first. When you want to lose weight, you don’t have to work out 90 minutes every day until you lose 20 pounds of gut. These are goals you will set with specific time frames. Once you have accomplished the first portion of your goal, you can set the next step in the goal, along with a new time frame.
If you merely make a traditional New Year’s resolution, there is a good chance you simply made a proclamation without a set plan to accomplish your goal. This is why the failure rate of resolutions is extremely high, even in the first week. A New Year’s resolution with no game plan is doomed to fail. Goals require planning.
You wouldn’t walk into work one day with the goal of getting a $3000 raise based on a New Year’s resolution. What you would do is tell your boss you are ready to take on some new responsibilities. Over time, if you are working harder, your boss will take notice. If your boss doesn’t seem to notice, then mention how much more productive you have been. Calculate that you have increased your productivity by xx% and believe you are really making an impact on the company. A raise could realistically be in order with time as opposed to the ridiculous New Year’s resolution to get a raise.
The point is, do not base goals on New Year’s resolutions, base them on a game plan to accomplish your goals and your rate of success will be much higher.
