How’s your year going so far?

Some of us are not big on making New Year’s resolutions. I know I am not. It’s not that there aren’t things in my life that I want to change. There are plenty of them, believe me. It’s more that I feel so bad when I break them. And, I don’t know about you, but I can definitely do with less feeling bad.

So, you’ve had almost a week now to live with your resolutions. How’s it going so far? Good? Fabulous! You can stop reading now.

Not so great? You are not alone. Not by a long shot. Research has it that only a very small percentage of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them. Why? Well, some reasons are that they are just poor goals. They’re too lofty, not specific enough and not personal. Common resolutions are things like “I’m going to get fit” or “I’m going to lose weight”. We haven’t vested enough of ourselves in a goal like that. What does “get fit” mean to you? Do you want to be able to climb Mt. Everest or climb the hill in your local park?

Another interesting reason is that it’s unlikely that you took stock of where you are now. You haven’t done your due diligence, or “dead reckoning” as Xiren Wang explains it in this article. With apologies to the original quote, you can’t get where going unless you know where you are.

To me though, the most important thing is to give yourself a break. Go easy on yourself. Be nice. Give yourself a pat on the back for trying. Top marks. We’ve all failed at something at some point in our lives. Probably hundreds of times. Breaking a resolution here or there is not such a big deal. You tried. You can try again. This time though, set yourself up for success – take stock and make those resolutions personal and realistic.

Happy new year!

What’s your favourite resolution? Do you make new year resolutions? Have a story to share? We’d love to hear it.