One thing I know about spring is that all of us will create New Year’s resolutions and by February we all probably have failed to follow those goals we have set for ourselves. Why is this? Batts (2023) shares that the four main reasons for this are: goals should start at a time of change, expect obstacles, set goals into challenging measured but small chunks, and accountability; and often we do not follow through with any of these. We tend to set goals based on a time of change but do not have an established reason for following through that motivates us to continue. Not taking our goals in stride is often why we struggle with any obstacles that come at us and then we will probably give up. Finally, not having accountability with ourselves and others will give us an easy excuse to give up without caring since “there is always next year.” Setting new goals for ourselves is hard since they are so easy to lose interest in and we find ourselves struggling with them. We will always find struggles in our lives that prevent us from giving our all toward the activities and work we desire to complete.
I have struggled with this personally in my academic life, and the reason for it was not holding myself accountable for my responsibilities. I often put off my assignments even though I want to do well and achieve a better GPA, but I keep telling myself it’s an issue for later. It is important to prioritize your mental health, which might mean turning in assignments late once, but letting yourself fall into that cycle can be dangerous to the goals and responsibilities you have set. However, having friends who can hold me accountable for my assignments and goals has helped improve my motivation to complete things.
I think it’s good to reach out to your friends if you need to be held accountable, as it also helps us recognize that we need help. That’s completely okay. It can help you build a better relationship with them and they can give feedback on the material you are working on. Sometimes we just need a push from the people around us to find our spark and continue those resolutions we’ve been neglecting.
Another resource that has helped me stay focused and committed to my New Year’s resolutions and assignments has been journaling. At the beginning of the year, I wrote down the goals and beliefs I wanted to establish for myself to follow. When I’m reflecting on things from the week or doing my daily journaling, I go back to that page full of goals for the year and it inspires me to do better and follow through with that plan.
Recognizing that following goals is difficult is the first step to seeking success. If it were easy, you wouldn’t want to do it and then what’s the point of trying? It’s essential to have other people in our lives to lift us up and inspire us keeps us going even when things get to be too much. Finally, having resources such as journaling, going to meetings, or doing activities to get us up in the morning can help remind you to stay focused on the goals you have set for yourself and slowly make daily progress on them. One last thing I’ll leave you with is this: it might seem like you are going through a seasonal slump all alone, but that’s not true! There are so many people who are struggling with this phenomenon and understand what you are going through!