With a new year just beginning, and the start of a new semester, common habits are often brought up as a way to improve ourselves with the fresh start of a new year. Whether they be bad habits, personal goals, or even a small change of mindset, many people around the world attempt to improve themselves for whatever it is they aspire to be. However, it is also common for many people to either give up on their resolutions, or just forget about them entirely. Why is that? And how can you change it?
A most common theme throughout unachieved resolutions is its unrealistic standards. Many people that tend to create goals or resolutions for themselves make the goals quite literally impossible to accomplish, making trying to achieve the goal feel like a chore, rather than something that they’re motivated to work towards.
A suggestion to this is to take it slow, one step at a time, rather than to try and fulfill the goal all at once. Progress comes from small consistent bits of effort, and small steps in the right direction is always better than trying to achieve it all at once perfectly.
Another suggestion is to change your mindset accordingly. Many people end up giving up on their resolutions the first month, or even week of the year. But sometimes, having a simple change in thinking can boost your inspiration to keep going, such as not pressuring yourself over wanting to get the goal completed, and keeping track of your progress with how you’ve been doing so far. Asking for support from friends and family is also an easy way to encourage yourself to keep going, as well as even asking a friend or family member to complete the resolution with you. It all depends on what you want to accomplish, as well as what kind of support you would need.
In the end, while New Year’s resolutions may always continue to be something that each of us all struggle with, it’s important to remember that all of us are just human, and even if we won’t be able to complete our resolutions this year, we should try to be patient and willing to accept the challenges we’ll go through. Learning from your mistakes is an important part of growing, so this year, let’s try our best to improve ourselves at our own pace.