New Year, New Me. New Resolutions. As 2018 ended and 2019 took its place like me, you may have not necessarily uttered such phrases but you considered them and made plans accordingly. You may have gone on to set your resolutions for the new year. Now as we come up to the end of January, how is your resolutions looking like? Have you seen it through or have you fallen of the ladder already?
FRESH START
Personally, I love a fresh start. Even a new week or new month makes me feel like I can start afresh. So, as I usually do I sat down to write my new year’s resolution. I stared at my new planner thinking of all the things that I wanted to achieve this year and how to best to put it down. But
PLAN – EXECUTE – SUCCESS
Therefore in 2019 I decided to do away with new year’s resolutions but to instead put down my goals with a clear plan. A plan that I will follow through till the end. As I get older I have come to realise the difference between setting resolutions to setting achievable goals. Resolutions is almost wishful thinking. Of course, I am not saying that, everyone who set new year’s resolution do not fulfil them but is it something that you must wait a whole new year to start? If it is of benefit to you, why not start right then and there with what you have?
RESILIENCE NOT RESOLUTION
While I commend you for having the desire to have change in your life, are you willing to put in the work to get there? A recent quote got me thinking “you complain God is silent in your life while your Bible remain closed”. This does not insinuate that God will not work in your life if you do not read your Bible, but it always takes two to tango. He can only go as far as you are willing to and the directions you need you have already been equipped with. Using this example, one of my main aims is to get the best grades that I can this year. I cannot complain about not attaining them, if my books remain close and I do not do the preparation required before lectures, seminars and finally exams. In comes Resilience. Have goals, aspire, have resolutions even, but if you really want to see it all through and come to the other side on success then you got to build resilience and keep going till it’s done.
How to keep your New Year’s Resolution
I know, I know, I have already stated that I do not subscribe to them anymore but I still have set goals that I wrote down at the beginning of the year. What I need you to understand in this post, is not that there is something wrong with having New Year’s resolution, I just don’t want us to get into the habit of waiting for something to occur before pursuing whatever I want. I want to start executing my goals right on the onset of uttering them. but now that we are here, how do we keep the goals/resolutions.
STEPS
1. Most resolutions are way too vague. If you want to lose/gain weight be specific, I want to lose/gain 6kg of my overall weight in 6 months. Which means 1kg each month. How do you do this? Meal prep, exercise, accountability partner etc., the list goes on. how do I maintain it once I achieve it? the point is that you are actively forming a plan which you can follow through with someone to encourage you along the way.
2. What is your Why? Why are you doing this? who does it benefit and what is it going to cost me to get there? Once you can answer all of this especially your why, you will have a better understanding of your sacrifices but not be disheartened by it, because you know the benefits overweigh it a hundred percent. If it doesn’t, then maybe you need to rethink the goal.
In all I wish you all the best for this year, may it be fruitful (bear in mind you must sow first) and comment below what ways you intend to follow through with your goals/resolutions this year.
“Always remember that your focus determines your reality”
George Lucas