No Resolutions for me this new year, Instead I am setting Goals.

Read on to know why?

Each year like the majority of us, I jump on the bandwagon of penning down my new year resolutions with a vigour I have witnessed only in my pet when she spots her food.

“while the rest of the world is making recap reels and celebrating the year that was, I force myself to not dwindle and sway away with the trends. Instead, I sit and contemplate what goes wrong every year after I set these resolutions.”

And like each year the vigour fades away after a month of setting it, mildly following it and never seeing the end of it. Too obvious to state that I fall off the bandwagon miserably.

Statistics from a survey conducted on participants in 2019 show that only 7% of the participants who set new year resolutions actually stuck to them. The rest of them either gave up after a month or did not even begin with them.

I fall under the latter population. So while the rest of the world is making recap reels and celebrating the year that was, I force myself not to dwindle and sway away with the trends. Instead, I sit and contemplate what goes wrong every year after I set these resolutions. Why do I never see the end of it? What can I do to make it work this time?

After much contemplation, the only possible reasoning for the dwindling I could comprehend is that 

1. I am too lazy to see the end of things(that explains a few failures) but no, NOT the answer I was looking for,
2. The more sensible reason could be that resolutions are a very broad term. They do not have achievable actions or results attached to them.

Setting resolutions for the sake of it or because the next person is doing it is not going to earn you anything. You will end up loosing motivation when you don’t see any immediate results.

In the era of instant gratification, we want everything to be done immediately. Patience is lost on us, instant gratification wins over long-term results. We fail to work on it long enough to see feasible and permanent changes.

I might say, I want to lose weight or lead a healthy lifestyle or be more financially stable, all good resolutions but very vague and broadly described. What I fail to do is plan and execute it properly.

Instead, what I should be doing is convert those broad resolutions into specific achievable goals.

To achieve noticeable results, I must set actionable goals. Why? Because…

Goals are more definitive.

Goals are result-oriented.

Goals require proper planning.

Goals are achievable because they have a specific aim.

When I set a goal stating I want to lose 10kgs in 6 months.

The goal demands action. It is specific and it has a result already stated. 

So all you have to do now is plan each step to achieve that goal. 

Seems achievable now. Doesn’t it?

The same can be applied to any other goal, whether you want to earn more, set up a business, or work on personal growth. 

“In the era of instant gratification, we want everything to be done immediately. Patience is lost on us, instant gratification wins over long-term results. We fail to work on it long enough to see feasible and permanent changes.”

How to start?

• Start by setting a properly defined goal. 

• Give yourself a target date( but don’t be harsh on yourself if you don’t meet the deadline). Setbacks are inevitable in the path to success. We fail sometimes before we reach our goal and that’s completely okay.

• Now map out steps to reach that goal.

For example: If your goal is to start earning more. Ask questions. Ask your why’s and how’s.

Why do you need to earn more?

How are you going to achieve it?

Do you need a job change or start a side hustle?

Do you need to upskill yourself?

Do you need a social media presence for it? 

Do you need to network with more people in your niche?

Once you map out things, start working on them one by one and see your actions taking shape.

• Finally, reward yourself for every wins. It could be a small or a big win. You have worked hard to reach your goal so you deserve a pat on the back. Don’t shy away from celebrating your wins, it helps in keeping you motivated along the journey.

Hope these points help you achieve your goals this year. Do let me know if you have any more suggestions on how to set your goals and achieve them too?

On that note, here’s wishing all of you

A HAPPY NEW YEAR.