With another year beginning in a pandemic, and Omicron taking away the glimmer of normalcy that we were nearing, many have forgone or forgotten to make a New Year’s resolution amid all the chaos.
You might be deterred from participating in New Year's resolutions, either because they've fallen through in the past, or maybe you just don’t know where to begin. But, this is an important time to focus on your well-being and continue in pursuing your goals and passions.
One of the first things you should do is make an actual plan.
Canva by Aidan Sara
The first step in being successful is to start referring to your resolution as your “desired lifestyle.” These aren’t changes you’re making strictly because it’s a new year. These are changes you’re making because you’re striving to continuously better yourself.
Make a timeline
One of the first things you should do is make an actual plan. Maybe you want to stop spending your money and save. Instead of telling your friends that you can’t go out for lunch with them, consider budgeting. Ask yourself how much money you want to see in your savings four months from now and build your plan off that. Work towards your goal like there’s a deadline.
Evaluate your goals
A big question to ask yourself is: Who do these goals belong to? Are my goals relevant to me, or am I just following the crowd?
Saving money is a common New Years Resolution. There are many websites with great advice on where to start.
Canva by Aidan Sara
Going to the gym more often is a goal that many people try to pursue, but contextually, is forcing yourself to work out the best choice to make?
New Year’s resolutions should help you feel better mentally. Consider every aspect of your goal. If you didn’t see those Tik Tok posts about someone’s gym routine, would you have considered setting that goal in the first place?
Set goals for the things you want to see yourself doing, not what you think you should be doing. The progress you make shouldn't be compared to other’s. Don’t hold yourself to too high of a standard because that’s when what you’re doing starts to feel like a chore.
It’s okay to stray off track
The path to achieving your goals is never perfectly straight. It is important to be flexible in your planning.
Canva by Aidan Sara
The best reminder that anyone can get when pursuing new goals is that no one is perfect. As cliche as the saying is, it’s important to acknowledge that the reason why many people choose not to make New Year’s resolutions is because they’re afraid to fail.
Having a good sleep schedule is a goal a lot of people have. While having a full night's sleep is ideal, sometimes it just isn’t possible. School, work and life can get in the way of your goals sometimes, but progress isn’t linear.
Look at your goal as a journey. Taking a break doesn’t mean you’ve completely failed and have to start over. It also doesn’t discredit any of the progress you’ve made. Putting a pause on something because life happens or you just aren’t up to it is just a little bump in the road.
Janea Melido is a Reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at melido24@up.edu.
