Whether you love it or you hate it, you’re probably very familiar with the old standby tradition of setting lofty New Year’s resolutions. Every January 1st, it’s common to set high goals for what you hope to achieve for the year, from starting up a regular exercise routine complete with mens cruiser bikes and a women’s bike to ride around the neighborhood to aspirations for a promotion at work. Unfortunately, some of these goals are sometimes a little too ambitious, leading to disappointment and, in some cases, disillusionment and negativity. This flies in the face of why many people make New Year’s resolutions in the first place, which is often a hope for a more positive outlook and better outcomes in the new year. In order to not end up letting yourself down and to actually get the positivity you want this upcoming year, you can set a number of realistic, attainable resolutions that can help motivate you to slowly work towards your long-term goals.
Focus on All-Around Wellness
It’s easy to tell yourself that you’re going to hop on your comfort bike and get two hours of exercise in every day, but it may be easier to start smaller and build up. A good tip is to focus more on all-around wellness, with a strategy incorporating regular exercise, nutritious foods and plenty of hydration as well.
Selectively Set Goals Oriented on Your Own Needs
While there’s nothing wrong with setting some goals that are centered on your own wants and needs, if that’s all that appears on your list, you risk becoming too self-involved and missing out on the joy that you can derive from helping others and putting the focus on them. Try to set personal goals very selectively, and shift from more shallow ones to deeper ones focused on fostering better character and better health. For example, you could consider having the following as some of your goals:
- Taking time out every day to check in with yourself and assess your emotional state
- Incorporating meditation, quiet time or another relaxing activity for a half hour each day
- Allowing yourself to indulge occasionally, while still fueling your body with nutritious foods most of the time
Choose To Spend More Time With Those You Love
Perhaps one of the most important goals you can set for yourself this year is to work on your personal relationships, and to choose to get to know those you love by connecting with them more regularly. This allows you to foster relationships that can set you up for long-term happiness and contentment, and may be a more worthwhile investment than more shallow or short-term goals. Additionally, your friends and family are sure to be excited about getting to spend more time with you, so you can help someone else’s happiness in the process.
When it comes to deciding which resolutions you want to start following at New Year’s, make sure you place positivity in the forefront. Rather than setting lofty, hard-to-achieve goals that could leave you feeling disappointed or unsatisfied, try to set more meaningful goals that you can work towards slowly and that are more likely to bring you long-term contentment.