I, in my short 19 years of experience, have never actually been a fan of New Year’s resolutions. For some reason or another, I personally could just never get behind the idea of them, or at least in the traditional sense.
Last year, be it my current transition into adulthood or just being in a different situation than I had been for most of my life, I set a goal for the year. I did not dare call it a resolution, rather a goal. I wanted to get a job. That was it, plain and simple, nothing I would necessarily have to force myself to do every day or work to maintain. It did though force me out of my comfort zone and required me to dedicate more free time to not doing anything except spending more time applying to jobs. By the time 2019 ended, I had not one but technically two jobs; my “new year’s goal” had been achieved.
Image via Vault
This year, 2020, I decided I would try again, but once again I called them goals (or when I am in my real artsy moments, “what I am manifesting this year”). And with that, I am going to share with you how I personally intend to accomplish these goals and hope that it can help you with yours as well.
- Be specific
-
With my goals this year, I have picked very precise things that I can name definitely, such as a summer internship with a local assemblyperson. By being very exact with what I intend to accomplish for the year, it makes it easier for me to know what I need to do to achieve it and whether I have achieved it. So even if you are planning on doing something like “going to the gym more,” you could be more specific and say “I want to do ‘x’ or ‘y’ at the gym more.”
- Set timelines
-
Setting up a timeline or a deadline for what you want to achieve is just a good way to organize your life and set up some personal accountability. Saying you want to be good at something or have finished something by a certain date allows for you to not get away with going a whole year before realizing you never actually accomplished what you intended to do.
- Chose something you actually like
-
If you set a new year’s resolution that you are not actually enthusiastic about trying to get done, you are not going to want to do it. It is pretty common knowledge that people do not want to do things they do not like. Try to set goals that you actually really want to do or achieve. If you want to do something like eating healthier, find foods that you enjoy that are healthy. If you do not like certain vegetables, do not force yourself to eat if every day when there are so many other options out there that you may actually enjoy. Make sure your goal is something you want to do or else it realistically is just not going to happen.
- Talk to someone about it
-
Sitting down with someone to discuss each other’s goals and plans for the year is actually incredibly inspiring. It allows for you to not only fully flesh out your goals and plans but also tell them to someone who can help you achieve them, even if it is through just reminding you of what you want to do. Do not be afraid to limit this to just the start of the year. Personally, I regularly meet up with specific friends to discuss my plans for the month and what I am planning on doing to achieve those plans. It is just a good method of personal reflection and bonding with someone you value in your life.
- Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t accomplish it
-
I think a part of why I have traditionally been so anti-New-Year’s-resolution is the fact that I am the type who only likes to do things if they turn out perfectly. Personally, I think, why set a resolution if I know there is a good chance that I will not be able to keep maintaining it months later? The thing is though there are no repercussions if you can not achieve what you want. You do not have to rely on the new year to be when you start and end things. Change is available at any point in the year, and if you get halfway through the year and realize something is not working for you that is okay. You are allowed to change and shift goals to what best fits your needs no matter what you used to think.