How to Revolutionize your Resolution
(Photo Credit: Her College)
According to the website Statistic Brain (trusted by news sources such as The New York Times, CNN, and Forbes), approximately 41% of Americans regularly set a New Year’s Resolution. 48.4% of the people who regularly make these resolutions have little to no success. So, if half of Americans who set resolutions fail, why do we continue to set them?
Many people cite the rather romantic disillusion of “turning over a new leaf”. While it is perfectly sensible to set such goals, why wait until the New Year? And, after setting (and failing) these goals, why do we wait once more for the New Year?
People feel they miss their window, but the truth is that the time is now, and the “New Year” is just a human construct. Pretty meta stuff, huh? Despite how silly it sounds, it's true. A year could start May 3rd 2017 and end on May 3rd of 2018. There is no need to wait for the New Year. Make your own year.
So- now that that is out of the way, how does one go about setting a resolution? There are a few things to consider and keep in mind. Start by asking yourself questions.
What do I actually want to accomplish?
How can I accomplish this?
How will I remain motivated?
Say your goal is saving enough money for a car. Creating a goal that says something like “I want a car by the end of the year” is too vague. Begin by setting a general goal. Something like “In order to purchase a car, I want to save $2,000 by the end of the year.” Getting better, but don't stop there.
Many people’s goals fail because they are too big to accomplish. $2,500 is a lot of money for a teenager to save. Use whatever information you can collect to form a realistic goal. Set multiple, small goals that fit into the big one. Say the average teen with a solid job earns $300 a month. A realistic, bit-sized goal would be to save $150 a month- that leaves plenty of spending money and by the end of the year, you will have saved $1,800. That is only $200 short of your original goal! That's not even including birthday/ winter holiday money. And remember, success is contagious, and some months you will feel like throwing in another 50 bucks, just to top it off.
It’s easy enough to keep these short-term goals, but keeping these goals throughout the whole year is a little tricky. In order to stay motivated, celebrate your successes as they come. Save $200 one month instead of $150? Treat yourself! Buy a car freshener and a bumper sticker to keep your eye on the prize!
Despite all of our best intentions, we all slip up every once and awhile. Even Beyonce makes mistakes. Heck, even Khloe K takes a cheat day every couple of months! It's important to not kill yourself over the little mistakes, as dwelling on it will only kill whatever motivation you already have. Instead of dwelling on your mistake, move on and remember that no one is perfect.
Remember to keep your goals small- after all, Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you want to lose weight, set small monthly goals. Have a buddy to hold you accountable. Reward the little victories, and keep your goals in sight.
The key to setting a solid goal is a strength-in-numbers outlook. Trying to not have a single missing assignment for the rest of the quarter? Set up a study group with friends and keep a sense of healthy competition. Having others to help hold you accountable can make or break your resolution.
So, next time you set these goals, keep this in mind and don’t give up hope! As long as you keep a healthy sense of realism paired with what you now know on how to set these goals, you are more likely to become one of the 51.6% of Americans with some success in the New Year.