New Year’s Resolutions
During the month of December, many people begin to reflect on their year and think about the new goals they want to set in order to be their best self for the upcoming year. While this is a great tradition and self improvement is a positive thing, it is easy to get carried away. Setting overwhelming or unrealistic resolutions is only going to increase stress and anxiety and leave you feeling discouraged. That is why we want to highlight an important aspect of setting New Year’s resolutions brought to our attention by Stella Grizont, MAPP, the founder of WOOPAAH, a company that designs happiness and play experiences for individuals and organizations.
In an article with WELCOA, she explains that you must change your perception of New Year’s resolutions and goal setting from the tradition model we have all been following for years. Here are her three tips:
- Focus on Feeling: Setting a goal without first stating the “why” behind the goal, can leave you feeling empty or underwhelmed when you actually accomplish it. So before setting any goals, think about how you want to feel or what you want to be in 2019. For example, instead of saying “I need to go to the gym at least 4 times a week,” state your goal as “I want to feel more energized and vital.” This will help you not only stick to your goal, but you will focus on the positive feeling of your goal throughout the whole year!
- Avoid “I Should”: Beginning your goals with “I should go to the gym more,” “I should eat healthier,” or anything that contains “I should…” is just another form of criticism and it will create a negative connotation with your goals. To avoid this, first test out your goal in your imagination. Ask your self what would happen if you followed through with a goal. Would you feel happier or more free? Or do you feel yourself resisting? Sometimes you might not feel anything at all! Avoid the goals that you respond negatively to, and focus on the ones you have a positive reaction to. This will make you want to complete your goal and will keep you feeling motivated.
- Be Aware of Your Motivation: This is a very important step to changing your attitude towards New Year’s resolutions. What is motivating you to change? Do you feel obligated or expected to change? Or maybe you are feeling pressure from social media. Whatever your motivation is, remember to set goals based on your heart. Intrinsic motivation means the cause to do something comes from within, it’s your own organic interest and desire. This is always the best motivation to build goals around!
Keep Them S.M.A.R.T.
Keeping the above tips in mind, the next step is to actually create your New Year’s Resoltuions. We recommend using the S.M.A.R.T goal setting method outlined below to ensure your goals are attainable. This method also helps keep you on track throughout the year and helps reduce any possible added stress!
- Specific – The what, why, when, where, and how of your goal.
- Measurable – Set a goal that can be quantified for easier tracking.
- Achievable – Goal can be achieved by your own hard work, dedication, and ability.
- Relevant – The ‘Why’ of goal setting. How does your goal align with your objective?
- Time-bound – This includes the deadlines, frequency, and dates of your goal.
