After 365 days, when midnight on December 31 rolls around, a new year begins. With a new year on the calendar, reflection also comes. Many reflect on their accomplishments and memories from the year prior. While looking back is important, this is also a time to set goals in hope of a positive upcoming year.
Setting goals can help many people stay on track and feel more productive. But for me, this is not the case.
Each year, I set goals for myself for the new year. Like many others, these goals almost always consist of drinking more water, keeping my grades up and working out more often.
But as the years have gone by I’ve realized that I usually forget these goals by February. These goals seem attainable in the moment but always end up leaving me feeling disappointed by the end of the year.
Setting really high expectations for the new year ultimately decreased my motivation, slowed my general progress and increased my stress around accomplishing everything I had hoped for.
Some goals I set for myself in the past included bettering my health, getting straight A’s, and being more positive. However, in reality, I never knew how to accomplish these goals and in what aspects of my life I hoped to apply them.
Therefore, starting this year I knew I needed to make a change. This year when setting goals for myself I focused on specific areas of my life. Throughout this process, I made sure to ask myself why I wanted to accomplish that goal.
When making goals, it’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea that others will think more highly of you if you accomplish something huge. In the past, this played a big role in what I strived for.
Overtime, I have learned the importance of picking goals based on what I want for myself and not to impress others. I found that when I tried to impress others, my goals almost never got accomplished and, even if they were achieved, I was ultimately unfulfilled.
This year, I strived to make my goals specific, realistic and personal to me. By thinking of goals this way, I hope to move away from a list of unrealistic statements and make my goals doable.
One of my goals in the new year is to manage my time more effectively. Although this seems like a broad goal, there are ways to make it realistic.
My goal wasn’t to never go on my phone, watch T.V., or cut out how much I talk to my friends. Instead, I made it a priority to make small changes in my life. If I had two free periods, I would make sure to do my school work in at least one of them. Sometimes, it could be to get one thing done off my to do list before watching T.V.
Over time, it became clear to me that making a New Year’s resolution can become a burden if not accomplished in small doses.
Overall, I think New Year’s resolutions can be effective if done correctly. Setting well thought out goals can encourage you to keep progressing and get you where you want to be. Although, it’s important to keep in mind the negative impact of setting unrealistic goals for yourself.