Resolutions… or not?

It’s 2012 already? How did that happen? And when? Time seems to fly by the older I get.

I actually did something different for the New Year this year. I didn’t make any resolutions. Yep, I said it. None.

Every year, I work on a list of resolutions a month before the New Year kicks off. This list ends up being a couple pages long and contains goals that honestly force me to aim higher than originally expected. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to have things to work towards. I work on improving myself everyday. But this particular way of going about it hasn’t always worked for me in the past.

There are always 3 or 4 resolutions that I never meet, start and never finish, or don’t know how to start at all. In the end, even after succeeding in all the other resolutions on my list, I still feel as though I’ve failed in some way. The whole point of New Year’s resolutions is to improve upon yourself and, for me, check off every box on that list. I decided to take a new approach.

Instead of one long list, I decided to make monthly goals (as the months approach). It’s silly to think that in one whole year, a whole 365 days, the things I wanted on my “New Year’s Resolutions List” will be the exact same things I’m striving for at the end of the year. Ideas, thoughts, and goals change over the course of the year. Why? Because of life. Life happens.

Since I usually have a hefty amount of goals, I decided to set 2-3 goals every month (leaning more towards three). Under each goal, I write three things: how I’m going to start achieving the goal, steps I need to take to meet it within the month, and a space for reflection upon completion of that goal. Maybe there is something I could have done better that I want to write down and act upon for future goals. This way, at the end of 2012, I will have 24-36 goals successfully completed. Those 3-4 straggler goals won’t even exist.

My January goals may seem silly, but for me, they are crucial in starting the year off right. I want to enforce good habits and a routine now, so that I will wind up following this path throughout the year.

An example of one of my goals:

Goal #1: Do not bite my nails for two weeks.

- Yes, I am a habitual nail biter. It is a bad habit that I’ve had since I was little and I’ve never been able to break it. Every year, this is on my New Year’s Resolutions List. But, because the list focuses on completing goals throughout the year, I tend to put this one off until the very end which results in an overall failure.

How to start: Keep nails painted at all times. (I have noticed when my nails are painted and look nice, I don’t bite them.)

Steps to take: When feeling stressed or the need to bite my nails, shift focus completely to another activity. Listen to music instead to calm nerves, go for a run, do yoga/stretch- anything to relieve the stress or tension that is causing this behavior.

Why I need to follow through: Bitten nails look unprofessional and dirty. Supervisors and coworkers notice your hands more often than you think. And especially since I talk with my hands, I am drawing more attention to them unintentionally. I also feel more confident in myself when my nails look nice, so what’s stopping me?

It may sound superficial, but it’s important to me. And that’s all that matters. Your goals should be for you, not anyone else.

Wishing you luck with your goals and resolutions this year!

{via restart my heart}