New Year’s Resolutions To Improve Your Skills & Habits

New Year, New Skills & Habits

I am a lover of learning, and through my blog I share with you the things I learn. Each year I focus on one thing that I want to improve personally, whether it’s a skill or a habit.

With the new year, there is one thing on everyone’s mind, NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS! The new year brings new avenues to start over, an opportunity to correct what went wrong last year and make the necessary adjustments. However, though many people love making lists around this time of year, hardly any follow through. Studies show that about 64% of people fail to keep up with their new year’s resolutions within the first month. Here’s why!

Dedication > Excitement
For the vast majority, there is excitement around the possibility of starting fresh. Many people write their goals expecting they can change their lives, but not with the reality of the steps to get there. The truth is that once the buzz wears off, are you going to be able to push through on the days when the motivation is lacking? Also, people tend to set lofty goals with rose-colored glasses at the top of the year. It is hard to maintain if the benefits or results are not readily visible to keep them motivated to continue.

The Building Blocks of Success
Building sustainable goals is the first step to ensure you follow through for the rest of the year. Divide your goals into categories of long-term and short-term. Also, make it quantifiable so you can achieve a steady pace of change. For example, instead of saying my new year’s resolution is to be fit. Take that same aspiration and say, “I dedicate myself to working out three times a week for at least 45 minutes.” Being able to track your goal will keep you on the right path to completing it. Another tip is to focus your goals on what you can do versus things you want to stop doing. If you would like to complain less in the new year, don’t say that your goal is to stop venting about things you don’t like. Instead frame your goal around what you can do to become a more content person. Try stating your goal as follows “I will create a daily gratitude list where I mention three things that I am grateful to have, three things I’m grateful to be able to do, and three things I’m grateful to see in my environment.”

That’s my Story, and I’m Sticking to it!
New Year’s can be a time of dread for some people, especially if you feel as though you keep repeating the same patterns. I would suggest taking an honest inventory of yourself and your behaviors to see where you might be going astray. Another tip is to get an accountability partner to revigorate you when you feel like returning down that slippery slope.

This Year I’m Going to…
This new year is a clean slate to start over. Some of the goals I have are to enhance my relationship with myself, embrace the uncomfortable, and strengthen my mental agility. I want to be more adamant about resting and I have scheduled myself for bi-weekly self-care days. This could look like spa days, retail therapy, or simply napping to my heart’s content. The goal is to listen to what my body needs, and be more intentional about not relentlessly pushing myself to the limit. Secondly, I want to conquer my fears in this new year. I have compiled a list of activities, scenarios, or events that make me uncomfortable and I have placed them in what I call “Fear Tiers”. I start with small things that make me uneasy, and then gradually do big tasks. As I conquer each tier, it builds my courage for the next one! Eventually, I’ll be able to face my fears head-on without cowering. Lastly, I want to grow intellectually in this new season! I have a list of book recommendations that seems to be ever-growing, but this year, I want to tackle at least one new book each month.

If you’re looking for ways to create long-lasting, sustainable goals, then make a long-term commitment. If you would like to join me in strengthening yourself clinically, we offer many self-paced clinical online courses that you can take YEAR ROUND! Why put off till tomorrow when you can start today? Check out our website to see what you can accomplish in the new year!

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