New Year is a time of fresh starts and clean slates. HARRIETTE LUSCOMBE provides great guidance and top tips on how to keep your resolutions for 2025.
Did you know that setting resolutions or goals has been with us since the ancient Babylonians 4,000 years ago? We don’t have much knowledge about how well these resolutions were stuck to back then, but we do know that these days our resolutions or good intentions may only last for six days!
So why bother with resolutions at all? Setting goals for personal development or improvement are a signifier of hope, they can provide purpose and a great sense of personal achievement. There is also research to suggest that having a “growth mindset”, where we believe we can keep learning and changing, is beneficial for our brains as we age.
These are all aspects that contribute to our overall happiness and wellbeing, so it’s worth taking the time to make sure your New Year Intentions have the best chance of succeeding. As a coach who works with individuals and businesses trying to implement positive changes, I see many people setting up goals and resolutions.
Here are some of the things I’ve learnt to watch out for, and some of the strategies to implement to help you achieve your goals.
Red flags when goal setting
- You say: “I should do xyz.” When I hear this, I’m concerned that the resolution is not coming from your core beliefs but from some sense of external pressure or competition.
- You slip into all or nothing thinking. For example, if you’ve got a resolution to eat an apple a day for a month and you miss one day, you think you’ve failed and give up! The reality is if you got to the end of the month and you’d eaten 20 apples, that still might be a fantastic achievement.
- You set yourself unrealistic goals. I get worried when people attempt to change their whole personality overnight. If you want to stop being late, start small and celebrate your wins along the way. It might not be realistic to suddenly change all of your habits.
- You think you’re too old to change. If you don’t believe you can change, then you won’t. It’s as simple as that. And the truth is that we can continue implementing positive changes at any age.
Strategies for success
- Really understand WHY you want to achieve your goal – and if the thought of achieving it doesn’t fill you with joy, then maybe it’s not the resolution for you right now.
- Think about HOW you are going to get it done. If you want to be more healthy, what does that actually mean for you? How will you know when you’ve achieved it? What are the obstacles you can plan for along the way?
- WHO do you need to support your goals? Can you find a community that will help you? The best bit about this is that you may make new friendships along the way creating a community around you that are aligned with your new intentions.
Pictures sourced via Unsplash.
ENDS
