What is the purpose of making them?
The beginning of a new year is a time for reflection and setting goals. In fact, many people make a habit of doing so. So why do we set New Year's resolutions? What makes them so popular?
There was a study done, out of 200 people, 77% kept their ''Resolutions'' for the first week but only 19% were able to keep it going over the 2 years. The main reasons why people didn't stick to it said by the study are coping strategies, willpower, and self-control.
So why is it still a thing each year?
It's a symbolic time of year.
New Year's resolutions are a way to set goals for the year. It's a symbolic time of year, and many people use it as an opportunity to reflect on their lives and think about what they want to change in the coming year. New Year's resolutions may be unrealistic for some people, but if you set yourself up with realistic expectations, you'll be more likely to succeed at them (more on how later) than if your goal is something unattainable like "lose 100 kgs in 2 weeks".
We use it as a form of motivation.
"Motivation is a key to success". I'm sure you've heard this before, but it's true....... kinda!
If you know me as a coach you will know I very much dislike that above statement.
Motivation will get you in the door yes and will get you going to a gym and changing your way of life, but motivation doesn't hang around forever, that's where having goals come in.
Don't get me wrong, motivation may drive us to action and allows us to start achieving goals. It can be internal or external and the right mix of both types of motivation will help you reach your goals successfully.
There are several things that motivate people: love, fear, guilt... But don't worry if you're not motivated by any of these things!
Setting achievable goals and a great coach is what pushes you closer and closer to a healthier and happier life.
Book a meet and greet with one of our coaches, in person or online. Our coaches will help you outline your goals and give you the right steps to take to achieve them. Free of charge.
We want to keep up with our friends and colleagues.
Most of us set goals because we want to be more successful than our friends/family, or more organized than our colleagues, or even more productive.
Why do we feel so pressured by others? Well, for one thing, it's human nature to compare yourself to others and try and achieve what they have achieved. We may not admit it but deep down inside we feel like if someone else can do something then so can I!
We also tend to compare ourselves with people similar in stature to ourselves.
For example: if you are working at a reputable company then you might compare yourself with other employees who work there; if your job title is Senior Consultant then you probably won't be comparing yourself with an entry-level employee (unless they are doing something amazing).
We need to pull it back and only compare ourselves to ourselves, from what we were to what we are.
There is no need to verse some random (they have their own battles) verse yourself and always end up better/stronger/healthier for it.
This may seem obvious but sometimes we need reminders like this just so that we don't forget where we came from!
We really pay attention only to the first few days of the year.
We tend to pay attention only to the first few days of the year, which is why we are so excited about New Year’s resolutions. We know that most people don't actually follow through with their resolutions; this is because we don't set goals that we can actually accomplish. This lack of clarity in our goals leads us to be disappointed when we fail to reach them. So why do we set these unrealistic resolutions?
The answer lies in our inability or unwillingness to think long-term. We get distracted by other things like family, work and friends; this leaves little room for reflection on what you really want or need in life.
There's nothing else going on in our lives at that time, so we're free to focus on them.
As the year draws to a close, we're finally free from all of those other distractions—school, work, family matters—and we're able to give our thoughts the attention they deserve. If you've set a goal for yourself at any point in your life, then you know how hard it is when you have extra things going on in your life. Those other stresses make it harder for us to stay focused on our goals and take action toward accomplishing them.
When we have time off between Christmas and New Year's (or whatever holiday season it might be) and we haven't had anything else planned, there's nothing else going on in our lives at that time except for thinking about our goals!
So we use this time wisely by thinking about ways we can improve ourselves.
You should dedicate some time and effort to setting achievable goals while alone without anyone else interfering with those aspirations.
Setting New Year's resolutions is one way to get motivated to reach your goals.
Setting New Year's resolutions is one way to get motivated to reach your goals. It can be a lot of fun too! Setting a New Year's resolution is like getting paid to go on a vacation, but better because it fosters growth and changes instead of just vacations.
For example, you could decide that from now on you're going to have more fun with the people around you by being more generous with compliments and by actually listening when they talk (instead of thinking about what you'll say next).
Or it could be as simple as walking through the gym door 2 times a week.
You'll be surprised at how motivating this kind of resolution can be!
You might even feel excited about it—after all, who doesn't love feeling energized?
Conclusion
I'm sure you'll agree that we can be just as motivated to make changes in our lives at any time of the year. The important thing is to set goals that are realistic and meaningful to you so that they serve as a foundation for your success in the future!
Remember this
"Without the walls, the house will fall down."
Goals have structure and are set up for you to achieve them. When setting goals we use smart goals, short, medium, and long-term goals.
Let's put this in an example to make it easier. "My Resolution is to come to the gym 5 times a week."
Instead, let's do.
Goals are:
For the next 6 weeks: walk through the gym door 2 days a week, each week.
2-month goal: Going to the gym 4 days a week every week.
Now it doesn't look so hard, all you have to do is show up twice a week. and just build on that.
Let's talk about your health and fitness goals and make sure you are on the right path to reach them in our free goal-setting meeting.
What goals are you aiming for next year?
Comment below.
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