Making Resolutions/Goals that last
How to establish goals that will endure and get completed by the end of the year.
When we think of setting goals we think of making them during the New year because it associated with it. It is established that most resolutions made in the new year will not last and will probably be forgotten 6 months into the year. So how do you make resolutions that will last?
Well let’s start with the definition of a Goal by Google which is “the object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result” Therefore when setting goals, consider your ambitions so that when setting goals your ambitions is shown in those goals. For example, my ambition is to be financially independent and free, last year in July before my birthday I knew that my resolution for the year coming was to get a part-time job as I would be 16 in August, which meant I would be allowed to work part-time. Therefore I focused on that goal for the next 4 months and by November I had a part-time job at Mcdonalds. This didn’t just happen overnight, I research and research multiple times about part-time job and I applied to 2 jobs. I also researched interview tips and about the companies I wanted to work for. I achieved this goal within the 4 month period I had set myself.
Considerably, the method I am going to tell you is something that I have done unconsciously for the past 2 years but only realised that I have done it. This method is considering making resolutions or goals a month or 2 before your Birthday instead of at the start of the New Year. Why? Doing it this way means that you are setting specific goals that you want to complete before you’re a year older than your age now, which means these goals are likely to last you longer than the ones you set at the start of the new year because you are setting them based on what you believe you need to improve before you become another year older. This self-improvement based goals increases your chances of completing them before your next Birthday.
So the way to do this is by setting a month or two before your Birthday and get yourself some paper and pen, make yourself comfortable and reflect what has improved since your Birthday last year? What went well? What did you think didn’t go well? When you have all the WHAT questions answer ask yourself WHY? Think deeply about why it went well, why it didn’t go well? The most important question that you will ask yourself is HOW? How can you improve for your next Birthday?
When you have it all written, it will become easier to guess what you could set as resolutions. I suggest to write these down and just take a good hard look at them. Are they achievable? Is it realistic? Does this resolution show who you will want to be in future? Will it contribute to your self-improvement?
When you have your resolutions down, you can either choose the one that is the hardest or you can start with the one you think will take longer but will have more impact on yourself than the others. Such as, if your resolution/goal is to save more money or make smarter money decision, you should ask yourself “If I start this goal now, will it contribute to who I want to be in the future? Will it take longer to achieve and will it be worth it?
Once you have one or two particular goal(s), stopping after you have your resolutions down and have started on one, will not make it last as you will forget it five months later, therefore, you should check it four months after your Birthday so that you are seeing if you have made progress or not since you set it. The key to this method is continuing to look back and revisit your goals every 4 months after, as this will make sure that you are not only setting the goals and forgetting about it but also that these goals are the top of your mind almost every day.
So not to forget about reviewing it every four months, you can set a scheduled date for every four months in your calendar. This method is about self-improvement because you are defining goals that say what you want to improve before you become one-year older.
Setting goals is easy but achieving them takes more effort, So when setting achievable, reflect the time between your last birthday and your next one. What went well, what didn’t, why between that period and how are you going to improve in the next period.
Be ready to make an effort into achieving those goals that will make you at least 1% better than the last time. This method is a cycle, hence if you miss one part of it, will not work effectively for example if you set goals based on your ambitions and has reflected on the year before well but will not continue to review those goals, it requires need more of your energy and time, which will only lead to stress and abandoning goals.
Last advice when setting achievable goals, is one that everyone advice which is don’t be setting goals mindlessly. This means that you should be setting goals because someone told you to do so or society says you need to. For instance, if your goal is to lose/gain weight, ask yourself “why”. Are you doing it because someone says you need to or has society influenced you in any way to make that goal? Well if that is the case, tell them to fxxck off, if you feel comfortable in who you, then set goals that will show who you want to be. Goals that will make feel good about yourself and reflect your ambitions in life. You will thank yourself for setting personal goals rather than blindly following sets of goals that society deemed fit for you to set and achieve.
Set Goals based on what/who you want to be in the future not because society is pressuring you to do so.
