New Year’s Resolutions – Don’t be too Hard on Yourself!

New Year’s Resolutions – Don’t be too Hard on Yourself!

It is that time of year, once again, where many take stock of their recent year and reflect on what they have done and what they would like to do in the time to come. Many of us set New Year’s resolutions at the start of each year, and many of us don’t follow through on them. Often we vow to try again, dedicate ourselves more seriously to our goals and desires, and add new achievements to the list. It might be time to start setting those objectives in a different light though.

So many of us set New Year’s Resolutions, or goals in our lives in general, based on the premise that something is lacking, we have done something wrong, or we are not good enough. We say we want to lose weight, drink less soda, watch less TV, spend less money, or quit a bad habit. And those are admirable goals, but they all come with a mindset of punishment or deprivation. What if instead of those goals, we decided to spend as much time outside as we do in front of the TV each weekend? Cook a new recipe with our families instead of eating out at least once a week? Decide to pay more attention to how we spend our money and where we could make some adjustments rather than just say “no spending”? Or what if we decided we wanted to make a resolution to volunteer a certain number of times during the year? Or that we would try one new thing each month? What if we decided to call our old friends to check in and catch up, instead of just look at their Facebook page? Setting goals and resolutions that focus on the good things, new things, or exciting things you can do, rather than all of the things you can’t or shouldn’t do, can make a world of difference not only in your ability to achieve those goals and keep those resolutions, but also in your general attitude and outlook on day-to-day life.

When you reflect on last year’s resolution, how you did in keeping them, and what you’d like to aim for this year, challenge yourself to think of something in the spirit of growth, rather than the spirit of correction. You will still be growing and changing as you set and keep your goals, but you just might find the added benefit of changing your outlook as well.

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