5 tips to draft New Year’s Resolutions
Updated: Mar 15, 2022
The New Year invites new growth. There is hope, there is excitement. We should take advantage of this to give us a push into the new year. Brett and Kate McKay talk about acquiring one new habit each year (https://www.artofmanliness.com/character/habits/sunday-firesides-one-habit-a-year-to-a-better-man/). A decade could make a huge difference.
Oftentimes, just drafting the New Year’s Resolutions can provide a challenge. I know that for me it does. So, I suggest the following five tips that may turn this from a chore into an enriching exercise.
1. Look back. What has happened over the course of the past year? Maybe try to write down your top five events or accomplishments. Or, you could write down three accomplishments in each of the different areas of your life. You have your personal life, your family, your primary relationships, friendships, work, study. What is going on? What has been good and what could be better forgotten? Take a moment to reflect on that. Then, write them down. Write down your top five or your top three from your chosen categories.
2. Next, look ahead to the new year. How do you want to finish a year from now? Is there one habit that could make the difference? Maybe you want to read more. Make the resolution to read a book a month. That would be twelve books in your pocket a year from now. It could help to make a difference. Or maybe, you want to learn a new language. Download Duolingo on your phone and commit to ten minutes a day. Go from there and soon you will be further towards your goal than you imagine.
3. What do you want to avoid? Our bad habits have real consequences in our lives. Sometimes, it is more effective to motivate ourselves by a healthy fear of bad consequences. Jordan Peterson talks about this when he speaks about procrastination. You can check out his video on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoA4017M7WU).
4. You have probably written down a few different ideas for a resolution for the new year. They are probably all good. Now, it is time to decide. I recommend focusing on one. You can look at the different habits. Ask yourself, do I have the energy for this? Do I want to do this? Is this the right time in my life to tackle this new habit? If you are not ready, it won’t happen. Be humble. Maybe you need to start with something smaller.
5. Program in times to check up on yourself. Do you want to check in every week? Do you want to plan a half-day for a focus session two months from now? How are you going to keep yourself accountable to your new plan?
I wish you success on your journey in 2022. Remember, that often the journey is more important than the destination. Except for life; there the destination is everything: God.
