Do You Need a Resolution?

We are officially in the shadows of the post festive period; fairy lights and Christmas trees have been put away until next Christmas, and it's now #backtowork. I am sure we are now all firmly focused on our new year resolutions and goals for 2016. This will form the backdrop of today's post.

Sad, dismantled Christmas tree

I remember in my childhood and teenage years, with every new year that ticked over I would make a firm pledge to the skies of what I will do religiously and abstain from for the next twelve months. The opening pages of my journal (because I just HAD  to get a new one every year) would have sentences beginning "I will give up...", and "Every morning, I will...". The problem with doing this, is that by mid January I would have already flouted half of these resolutions. I sadly did not have the discipline or tenacity to stick to them.

It's for this reason, that I no longer make new year resolutions.

I have learnt these three things about new year resolutions: One, that once you place a restriction on yourself, or tell yourself you cannot do or have something, you are naturally drawn to it. Two, if you really serious about making a lifestyle change you do not need to wait until the 1st of January to do it; and three, the first time you don't do something you promised you would commit to, you become a failure. You have failed to keep your new year resolution.

So how do you avoid this problem?

Juicing: one change I was determined to make before the new year

Don't get me wrong, new year resolutions probably do work for some of you reading this, but I guarantee you that for most people, there is probably a better way to go about things.

Bringing me to my next point. Goals. I have weighed this whole business of making life decisions at the new year and I have figured that it's probably better to make attainable goals, with an end date in mind, that can be achieved, and whose success can be fairly measured. So for instance instead of "I will quit smoking", you could probably tell yourself, "by April 2016, I will be a non smoker". This is a better resolve because it gives you the chance to quit gradually, without breaking any resolutions, and without the risk of relapsing. 

Have you tried a visionary board?
Sorry about the poor focus

Visionary boards are also a great way to keep you focused on your impending achievements. Incase you are not familiar with visionary boards, they are simply a visual of what you'd like to see in your life, and they can be built with words, magazine cut outs and drawings. I like visionary boards but I have learnt that they will only work if you believe in your vision; you keep your visionary board visible; and if you set yourself timeframes in which to achieve your goals.

What do you think? Do you agree with me? Are new year resolutions difficult to stick to? Have you set some goals for this year? If so what are you doing to ensure you achieve them? Please share.