Happy 2024 and welcome to the Spring semester! I’m glad to be back and continuing this blog into the new year and I am very excited to see what this year has in store for everyone. Leaving the Fall Semester behind I am sure all of you are ready for a fresh new start to school, new endeavors, and the new year. After winter break, specifically on the long drive back to State College, I had some time to reflect on 2023, the goals I achieved… and the ones I didn’t quite reach. I am sure this is a common thing amongst students and people in general, specifically at the start of a new year because, after all, it is a time of reflection and setting or continuing with aspiring goals. Naturally, at the start of a new year, a lot of us follow the traditions of having “New Year’s resolutions,” which typically serve as a motivator to make those changes. The start of the year is a new beginning, a time to renew, better ourselves, and start over. It’s a time to reflect on the year that was and plan for a better one. Time to get fit, eat healthier, learn a new language, start a new business, etc…then we eventually get back to our everyday lives which are far too demanding and busy to focus or dedicate time to anything else. Sometimes the things that get left in the background are our personal goals.
The reality is there are a multitude of things about the way we make these resolutions that set us up for failure or setbacks before we’ve even begun. One of the biggest problems is that they often revolve around huge changes that take time and aren’t a simple fix. A reason that some of us fail at our resolutions is the goals can be very daunting and intimidating, leading to people feeling discouraged and putting it off and the goals fall through. A lot of people stick with their goals in the beginning but most do not stick to them over time. According to research statistics, over 90% of people don’t stick to what they set out to achieve on January 1st. After one week, 75% are still successful, then a month drops down to 64%, and after 6 months around 40% of those who make a resolution keep it. As humans, we are naturally driven for self-improvement and we are goal-seekers. Most of us want to continue to prosper and improve ourselves throughout the year and be successful with our achievements. There are many ways to help you reach the goals you set. Here are some tips and tricks given by the 8% of people who achieve those goals throughout the year.
The first step is to actually believe you are capable of what you’re trying to achieve. Having a positive mindset will help you stay motivated and not succumb to procrastination or giving up, which can arguably be the hardest step for most people but the most important.
Keeping your goals simple and doable but still aiming for what you are trying to achieve this year is also a great way to stay consistent. The journey to your goals shouldn’t have to be mentally exhausting and should be reasonable. In reality, any steps closer to your goals are already setting you up to achieve them.
Another tip is to be open to creating change, as are creatures of habit, and stay in those habits, change can become a habit too. Setting huge, overwhelming New Year’s resolutions, we also set that expectation that we are going to be completely different from the start. However, real change requires small, gradual changes so we adapt and ensure it becomes habitual.
Sometimes you don’t need to set a big goal to achieve by the end of the year, but instead set yourself up to achieve small milestones that will help you reach your achievements over time. I think the true meaning behind having New Year’s resolutions is allowing yourself to overcome obstacles, whatever that may be, and to improve your mindset as you move through the year. Nonetheless, I encourage you all to set some goals for the semester and know it’s okay to not achieve the goals entirely. Continuously working towards your goals is an achievement in and of itself and it is just as important.
I personally never liked the concept of New Year’s resolutions. I always thought that it was an excuse to keep pushing back beginning something you always wanted to try or work towards. At least, that’s how I view it as a master procrastinator myself (please help me, I have so many assignments I need to still do). However, the way I learned to try to accomplish things is to do them whenever I suddenly had the urge to. Instead of “oh I plan to do that later” or “I was going to start that x day, so I’ll wait” typically ended in it never happening. I struggle to even brush my teeth every morning and night. I’ve adopted this new way of living where I will do it whenever I think of it. So now you can catch me brushing my teeth at 2 in the afternoon every now and again. Give yourself some grace on what you plan to do. Stressing about doing something perfectly can be crippling. There’s a sweet spot between too vague of a resolution and too specific. I agree we should all set goals. It’s necessary to work towards growth and our idealized selves. We are capable of doing what we set our minds to. Just don’t pressure yourself too hard and give up thinking you failed. You didn’t, you’re working on it.
I never actually thought about how many people actually stick with their New Years Resolutions, its sort of sad that only 8% of people can do it throughout the year. I’ll admit I never really tried to do a New Years resolution, but I found the tips you provided very helpful in general. Have you been able to successfully accomplish your resolutions? If so, do you mind telling me what they were? I always like hearing about success stories!