7 New Year’s Resolutions You’ll Want to Keep
By: Christina M. Ward
Tags: New Year Resolution, Self Improvement, Productivity, Advice, Personal Development

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

New Year’s resolutions got their start some 4000 years ago. But what ancient peoples used as a promise to their gods in hopes to gain favor for the new year, is a lot different these days.

Today, we celebrate the conclusion of a year. We honor our losses for the previous year and place our hopes in a better tomorrow. Today, we bargain with ourselves. We make New Year’s resolutions — promises in hopes of self-betterment and good fortune. Not by the cosmic hands of Babylonian gods, but by way of our own making and perhaps a little luck. Yes, there are still prayerful aspects to the holiday for some groups, but where we all may differ here and there on spiritual theologies, we do have one thing in common.

We suck at keeping our New Year’s Resolutions.

It is estimated that over 50% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions each year, yet only about 10% honor those commitments. I’ve been making New Year’s Resolutions for decades now and I can look back on some of the ones I have kept with pride, but the ones that fell by the wayside (nearly before the ink dried) are far more numerous. Can you relate? I mean, if we had to get our resolutions out from the previous year and answer to them now, perhaps receive a review of sorts, how would you fare? Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Where Did New Year’s Resolutions Come From?

New Year’s resolutions got their start with the ancient Babylonians, who made deals with their gods, promised to do better, behave better, return all that borrowed stuff from their neighbors. The planting season was coming up and they really wanted the god’s favor for a good season of growth and harvest.

Some features of the original practices that we now know as New Year’s continue:

Some form of resolution making

A look back at the previous year

Hopes for a better upcoming year

Celebratory behavior

Some form of self-examination and forward-thinking

Superstitious perceptions, activities, or traditions

So, today it’s much more simple. Make a resolution. Keep it. No fire and brimstone to rain down on your crops. No bargaining for a good future. Simply making wise choices about your life (yes, they can be prayerful) and then setting out to do better.

So why do we fall flat on our hopeful faces before the last day card for January rolls over into February?

Turns out, we humans have a hard time making ourselves change without the fear of the god’s breathing down our necks — though we do try! What we need is accountability, motivation, and the internal fortitude to work to change our own habits. When those stars align, we make resolution magic happen.

New Year’s Resolutions — Making them Stick

First, you need a simple program to tackle those resolutions: accountability, motivation, and work.

Accountability — Write it down. Tell someone. Make an out loud commitment to your resolution(s). Having to answer to yourself and others provides accountability and keeps you on track. Motivation — Incentivize. Make small milestones and when you meet them, reward yourself with Starbucks or a new book or something you want. Work — There’s no silver bullet here; do the work.

Plan in place, white board or journal ready, jaw set — let’s get some resolutions in place you’ll be able to stick to!

Be Honest with Yourself about Your Limitations

You know you. Are you an all in kind of person or an early quitter? A step-by-stepper? Knowing your own limitations will help you to design a program of resolutions that work for you. Set yourself up for success, not failure!

Make Your New Year’s Resolutions Reasonable and Manageable

Reasonable. You know deciding to quit sugar, soft drinks, and white bread all at the same time might be a bit much. Set smaller, more realistic goals and keep focused on one “big” resolution with a few other supportive ones. Perhaps quitting all of that by the end of the year would be more reasonable. You have 12 months to set smaller, more attainable goals to work toward your larger end goal.

Work Toward the Goal of Creating a New Habit

New Year’s resolutions are all about eliciting personal change and trying to push ourselves to be better, do better, live better. Breaking the bonds of bad habits is difficult. But it is not impossible. In fact, it only takes 3 weeks to set a new habit and train yourself to stick to it. New behaviors can be performed with a bit of motivation, but for them to “stick” we must create new habits. Try to think of your resolutions as mini training courses to prepare you for the life you envision for yourself.

Need Some Ideas? Here are 7 Categories for Great New Year’s Resolutions (and ideas for each!)

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Take a short walk every day.

Drink more water.

Cut back or quit smoking (or other nasty habit)

Learn a new sport or exercise.

2. SOCIAL

Get out to visit with family more often. (How often? Be specific in your goal.)

Make a new friend.

Join a social group or gathering like mic night, book club, or a dancing group.

3. GIVING

Donate to charitable organizations.

Give of your time to volunteer in your community.

Find ways to do random acts of kindness each day / week / month

4. CLEANING & ORGANIZING

Clean out the garage / attic / storage building

Have a yard sale or donate some items to clear up space

Organize your pictures into digital files

Set an easy cleaning schedule and rotation

Finally ditch all those no-match socks or do a fun craft project with them

5. TRAVELLING & NEW EXPERIENCES

Learn a new craft or how to play an instrument

Pick a place you’ve never been and plan your trip there

Enjoy a day trip

6. FINANCES

Start paying off a debt.

Begin investing a little money.

Start a savings account and a savings plan.

7. RELAXING & ENJOYING LIFE A BIT MORE

Get outdoors more — go hiking!

Set a reading goal for the year

Make some time for your hobby or to learn a new one

Set a no-tech time for each day

Start having a weekly spa time for yourself

New Year’s resolutions are workable steps you can make to ensure a better year for yourself. You get to choose these paths to a better you, redefine the upcoming year under your own terms, and go for it. They are all about hope. Keep them doable and achievable. You can always up the ante later in the year if you are ready to expand on your New Year’s resolutions and keep your new-found forward momentum. Remember — the only thing holding you back, is YOU.

Thank you for reading. The author wishes you a fine new year!