Contributed by Shelly T.
It is that time of year when most of turn our attention to making New Year’s Resolutions. We begin with the highest of hopes—we are finally going to lose weight, learn a new language, write a book, and so on—yet most resolutions are broken rather quickly.
Why do our best intentions fall by the wayside so quickly?
I think it is because we make these resolutions while putting ourselves down—“I am too fat. I need to lose weight.” “I am so lazy. I need to exercise more.” “I am such a slug. I need to eat healthier.” “I need to date more but I’m not very interesting.” Each resolution we make is really a put down, where we tell ourselves we are not good enough.
So, here’s what I did. I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions as I felt that this tradition was setting myself up for failure. I felt like I was reaching for dreams that were far out of reach and each time I failed to follow-through, I would put myself down. In the end, broken resolution was just another way I brought myself down.
I changed my focus to celebrate what I accomplished in different areas of my life such as work, finances, relationships, health, hobbies, friends/families, and spirituality. This helped me remember that I am a great person who has accomplished a lot, even with struggles and set backs, I still have done a lot.
I also make a list of goals that I would like to achieve to further enhance my life. These goals do not have anything to do with what is wrong with me. They are simply goals about what I want in life. I cover the same areas of life as stated above. Alongside my goals, I write my reasons why I want to achieve these goals. I tack them on my bulletin board and check them off as I achieve them. Each goal is tackled one at a time so I don’t overload myself. This year I achieved five out of nine goals. Even though I didn’t achieve all of them, I do not knock myself about it. I transfer them to the next year or I rethink them to see if they even fit what I want out of life.
What goals would you like to achieve to enhance your life? We invite you to share your thoughts in the comment box below.
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