Wellness: following through on your 2018 resolutions
visual: determined to make things happen in 2018
I love end of year, since I can really self-reflect and figure out what I want to improve on and accomplish in the new year. Although New Year Resolutions these days seem to be practically a joke with “new year, new me” tossed around ironically, I still believe it’s the prime time to make meaningful changes (or superficial, if you prefer). Making goals by nature is working for the better and that’s quite beautiful when you think of it happening on an individual basis at a global scale.
Of course, New Year Resolutions are notoriously hard to keep up with, since we tend to be overly optimistic and want the next year to be the best year. However, following through with our intentions is even more important than the goal making, since actions really speak louder than words when it comes to benefiting yourself. There’s nothing more detrimental to our well-being than setting life-changing goals, only to flake on them and ultimately disappoint ourselves. That causes a repetitive mental cycle that lowers confidence and discourages us to pursue our passions. With that said, I’ve put together a three-step guide on how to actualize your goals, so whatever you have in plan for 2018 will finally come through:
1. Write it down, in detail:
There’s no use having your resolutions somewhere in your mind. Writing them down is the first commitment that holds you accountable. The plan should be detailed and action oriented so you know exactly what to do. I.e. If you want to be president, you better figure a way to usurp that carrot-skin rather than just saying “I wanna be president”.
2. Just do it:
Sounding a bit like Nike here, but really, just do it. You don’t have to “feel like doing it,” or “be motivated to do it,” to do something that’s good for yourself. If you’re really committed to your goal, there is no time for hesitations or laziness. Unless sleeping more is one of your goals, lying on your bed and browsing isn’t going to cut it (note to self).
3. Do Pivot
Goals change and there’s no use sticking to ones that no longer resonate with you. Evaluate your resolutions periodically to see if they’re aligned with your long-term goals and if they’re not, write down new ones. The “I already spent so much time on it,” only burdens you in the long run.
And that’s it. It’s a rather manual process, but has helped combat my lazy tendency to achieve what I want. I hope you have a blast knocking out those resolutions.
-Matt Chu