When January 1st rolls around, you have to admit that you start thinking of the New Year ahead. You begin to plan every little detail because you want it to be better than the last. A few days ago we wrote wrote our New Year’s 2014 resolutions on a little piece of paper. Will we stick to them? I must confess that most of the time those resolutions don’t go as planned. So, go ahead: don’t stick to your New Year’s resolutions!
They Don’t Work
Year after year, your resolutions usually comprise of the same things; exercising more, eating healthier, losing weight, volunteering, quitting smoking… the wishes go on. However, as Gary Belsky wrote in Time Magazine, “surprisingly a large number of people make [New Year resolutions] and the not-surprisingly, almost-as-large a number of those folks fail to keep them for longer than a few weeks or months.” In the first few weeks of the year, you are totally committed to changing your life around. You put in effort to get what you want accomplished. Except, after a while, you start to get tired. According to Dr. Eva Fisher, a psychologist in the Ottawa area, over 80% of New Year resolutions don’t work because the people who are making them aren’t ready to make those changes yet. Dr. Fisher explains that the people do want to make their “wishes” come true, but they aren’t always prepared to take action. Thinking about resolutions during the holidays isn’t the best idea since we are only caught up in the Holidays season. So, when the vacations are over, we go back to our old habits. Since you want change to happen right away, you abandon your goal when it doesn’t.
Save Your Time and Your Money
If you want changes, you have to put time, energy and money into them. That’s how things work in our society. You’ve got to give to receive. You have to pay for services. If you want to start eating healthier, you must start planning ahead what you are going to eat for the week. You won’t be able to run to McDonalds’ to buy a $6 combo. You’re going to have to deprive yourself of many things you like. You will have to invest in healthier food at the grocery store. You can even go organic; however that choice is more expensive. Two years ago, my New Year’s resolution was to go to the gym twice a week. So, I paid for a yearly membership, which cost me more than $600. I invested to get what I wanted. The worst part of it is that I lost all of it, because after two months, I couldn’t go through with the process. Let me say this, save your money.
You Only Live Once
This expression was definitely the trend for 2013. It has invaded the lives of young people everywhere. We justify our every move by this motto. “Take risks and enjoy your life”. We should continue using this expression because each day is unique and full of surprises. This year, the only resolution you should stick to is enjoying life as it comes. Don’t be afraid to do things outside of the box and to step out of your comfort zone. You hear this advice a lot, but it’s true. Good opportunities come when you least expect them. Dr. Sharon Ufberg said in one of her articles, New Year’s Resolutions Are Not For Me — Here’s Why in 2011, “I am going to focus on all the fabulous things I have done, want to keep doing, love to do and want to do more.” I couldn’t agree with her more, we should just appreciate what we have and good opportunities will come our way. You have the power to change your life around at any time – you don’t need a specific time to do so!
Source credits
http://ottawa-psychologist.net/video-new-years-resolutions-why-they-dont-work-part-1/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sharon-ufberg/no-more-new-years-resolut_b_1174956.html
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