Articles, blogs and social media posts about new year’s resolutions have been flooding our feeds for the past few weeks. There’s nothing new about this universal trend and the year 2020 is no exception. If anything, people are relatively more excited as this year marks the end of the decade.
Right now, there are more than 473,000 #newyearresolution Instagram posts, and #NewYearResolution2020 has been trending on Twitter for the past few weeks. If you are indulging in retrospection, re-evaluating life choices and thinking about the list of resolutions for the year or the decade, welcome to the club.
There’s no doubt that the new year is an ideal time to reflect on past choices, mistakes and lessons, and make resolutions for the future. However, sadly, the fact remains that resolutions eventually fail.
As we enter a new decade, on the very first day of 2020, let us understand why our new year’s resolutions often tend to fail and how should we go about it to ensure that we achieve our set goals.
Making resolutions just for the sake of it
One of the most prominent and common reasons behind our well-made resolutions falling flat on its face is that we do not give much thought to the whole process. We see the #NewYearResolution train leaving the station and quickly hop on to it without a pause for thought. This trend has become more common since the inception of social media and the emergence of FOMO or the fear of missing out.
Resolutions are supposed to be personal goals that we set for ourselves after due introspection and reflection. When we make resolutions to catch up with the trend, they are often vague and too generic. Sometimes, we might manage to maintain the momentum for a week or so, but eventually, our interest fizzles out because it was never something we really felt strongly about in the first place.
Setting unrealistic goals
Another reason why resolutions fail is that people tend to get carried away and end up setting unrealistic goals for themselves. If you feel the need to bring about a change in your life that you think will benefit you- do it slowly and give yourself time.
For example: If you feel like you are a late riser and that affects your productivity throughout the day, start with rising 30 minutes earlier than your usual time. If you try going directly from being a late riser to an early riser, you won’t be able to achieve/maintain it, and eventually, the whole thing will turn into a lost cause.
No set timelines
The lack of defined timelines can be yet another reason why people fail at their new year’s resolutions. Being a freelance writer, I worship deadlines and schedules because if it were not for them, I would possibly never manage to deliver content. Deadlines not only motivate us to accomplish set goals within a reasonable time frame, but they also help us evaluate our success/failure rate.
The chances are that you have already listed down New Year’s resolutions for 2020 by now. Revisit your goals and assign them a reasonable timeline, and you will see the difference in your approach!
Here’s how you can make sure your 2020 resolutions won’t fail
With a general universal trend of inclusivity, equality, love and care, 2020 is a great time to be alive. If you are determined to make changes for the better in your life, go for it, but remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint. So, run steadily. Set realistic goals and allow yourself to take baby steps. Tackle one thing at a time within reasonable timelines.
With patience, consistency and self-care at the centre of it all- you will be able to achieve your New Year’s goals. Happy 2020!
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