I absolutely love the new year. Maybe it’s because of the atmosphere, but there is something so encouraging about being surrounded by people full of hope, people who want to make the next year a year where they’ll thrive.
Every new year I ask my friends and family not what their resolutions for the upcoming year are but what their intentions are. I truly believe that this question is more relevant and thought-provoking than the latter. Anyone can dream up a resolution and envision themselves in a brighter future but very few people have considered what steps they need to take to transform their resolution into a goal. When you ask this question people begin to consider, “What are my intentions for achieving this goal? Do I actually want to move my life in a positive direction?”. This is ponderance that may be hard for some to be honest about, but it is a necessary part of growth. It is necessary to challenge yourself and discover what your true motivators are when it comes to your ambitions.
Don’t get me wrong, it is great to have dreams, but until you form a plan on how you can achieve it, it’s just a dream. You can’t lose 10lbs without giving yourself a diet and exercise plan. You can’t write that book if you don’t set yourself up with a schedule. Without a plan you can stick to, there is almost no chance you will succeed. Every single one of us has the power to turn our unachievable dreams into attainable aspirations, it just takes dedication and mindfulness.
Once you decide to commit to making a new beginning for yourself and want to find a way to achieve your goals, the next question is how. As much as I would love to give you all the answers, this is still an area in my life where I am still learning and growing. However, I CAN offer you some advice based on what I have learned since I have decided to take on this challenge for myself.
1. You don’t have to wait for the New Year to start over.
This may be something that I have struggled with the most. I have a stigma in my mind that is hard to overcome and that stigma is: I have to wait for _____ to start over. That thought has taken so much time away from me and I deeply regret it. I could be upset because I woke up late and had a terrible morning so I ruined the whole day for myself but in reality, I could’ve “restarted” the day at any point. I chose to let a hard morning turn into a hard day and that was my biggest mistake. I encourage you to take time to reset whenever you’re ready. Don’t wait for Monday to start your diet. Don’t wait until next month to start saving money. Don’t let a bad 5 minutes ruin your whole day. You have the power to take a second, breathe, and start fresh at any time.
2. Take care of yourself first.
Another challenge I had to overcome was learning how to treat myself with respect. I think that I can make a guess and say that, just like me, you deserve so much more than you are giving yourself. I used to make myself the last priority in almost every area of my life. I would cancel my commitment to myself in a heartbeat to take care of something else. I didn’t realize how harmful that behavior was for myself until I started doing the same thing with my amount of sleep. I began cutting back on sleep to make time for work, school, or friends and even though at first it didn’t make much of a difference, it began to add up and seriously affected my mental well-being. Of course, all of those things I was sacrificing sleep for were important, but so is taking care of myself. If you don’t prioritize your commitment to taking care of yourself, you won’t be able to achieve anything. Just like a car can only run with fuel in its tank we can’t run on empty, so we must take the time to refuel before we break down.
3. Make every decision a mindful one.
When trying to change for the better, it is crucial to take the time to ask yourself, “Is this decision going to get me further or closer to my goal?” with any and every choice you make. It may seem silly, but if your goal is to become a high achieving student and you’re deciding whether or not to click the next episode you should ask yourself this question. Of course, instant gratification is appealing, but it’s the enemy of long term accomplishment. Choosing to satisfy yourself in the moment as opposed to making tough decisions that get you closer to your goal will only take you further from where you want to be.
By choosing to prioritize yourself, making decisions that benefit you in the long run, and not holding yourself back because of past mistakes, I promise you that you will find it so much more manageable to reach your goals and maintain good intentions throughout your year and your life.