Five Reasons Why You Should Write New Year's Resolutions
It's that time of year again, the countdown is on until the clock strikes midnight and a brand new year begins. It's my favorite time to reflect on the previous year and chart my course for the new one.
I've been writing my New Year's Resolutions since I was a teen and it's been amazing to see over the years, how those resolutions have turned into goals and dreams that have been realized.
This is the perfect time to set your intentions for what 2018 will bring. As I look back over the past several years, I can trace my success in any given year, to the effort I put into defining, visualizing, and writing my goals and dreams at the start of each year.
Did you accomplish your goals in 2017? Can you look through this past year and say with honesty, that it was one you are proud of? One where you put your plans, dreams, and ambitions on the front burner and got closer to living them?
If so, congratulations!
If not, why?
What prevented you from setting and reaching your goals? Take some time to reflect and get these answers because you don't want the same thing to happen again this year. We are all given limited time on this earth, shouldn't we spend it pursuing, and LIVING our dreams?
My 5 reasons why you should write your resolutions now, to insure you start making them a reality in 2018:
1. Writing down your goals is a PROVEN way to help you realize them. It's such a simple thing really, the act of taking a thought and putting it down on paper, but its power can't be underestimated.
NOTE: By "writing" your goals, I mean: go pick up a pen and a notepad and WRITE them (don't type them). There is a difference. Writing takes more thought, it uses different muscle memory and parts of our brain that we might not use much these days, all of that works in your favor, helping you get even clearer on what you want.
2. Be specific. The clearer you are about what you want the better your chances are of making it happen.
Example: DON'T write: "lose weight." DO write: "My goal is to finish 2018 x lbs. lighter. To accomplish this I have a daily activity goal of.... (insert a reasonable goal you can accomplish every day), and I commit to drinking x glasses of water and eating xyzzy." You get the idea. The more detailed you can be the better. This helps you hold yourself accountable to these smaller, daily actions which will enable you to reach the larger goal.
3. Aim high, plan realistically. Set goals that inspire you, ones where you'll feel amazing once they have been accomplished, but don't forget that in order to achieve them you'll need a realistic action plan.
Example: If your resolution is to have x amount of money in your savings account by the end of the year.... DON'T just write: "Save X$ by the end of the year." DO write: My yearly savings goal is X$, I plan to accomplish this by opening a new savings account that does not have 'auto-transfer' abilities, and direct deposit x$ (a figure that won't be missed too much each paycheck). If you run the math and that contribution amount won't come close to your goal, make your goal more realistic.
4. Set daily, weekly, and monthly goals for your resolutions. I think the reason why many people don't write down their resolutions at the start of each year is that they don't want to feel guilty if they don't follow through.
Avoid this, by setting small goals that you'll have the power to achieve. Break them down into daily, weekly, and monthly milestones so you can hold yourself accountable and can easily get back on track if you slip. Sometimes it's easier knowing that getting fit can start with something as simple as walking an extra 1,000 steps a day, rather than setting a goal of "do cardio 5 times a week."
5. Make sure your goals resonate with who you are and what you want.
I think many times people write goals they have no chance of achieving, ones that they might not even care about, just because it sounds good. This leads to that previously mentioned guilt at not accomplishing them.
So, make resolutions and set goals that truly mean something to you.
Bonus tip: Keep a nightly journal. I know it seems like a lot of extra work, but again the act of handwriting something helps us clear our minds and keep our focus strong.
Finally, be kind to yourself. If you slip up just brush it off and come back more determined the next day, starting right back on that daily plan. Be sure to write down your wins and your disappointments. There is no better way to see how far you've come than to read in your own words, where you started.
Here's to accomplishing our goals and living our dreams in the New Year!
Check out the chapter on how to set effective goals in my new book All the Things I Wish I Knew.
Ready to take your life, career, goals and yourself to the next level? Check out my life coaching options or take my online life coaching courses to get the results you DESERVE!
Sarah Centrella is a #1 best-selling author of several self-help books, a motivational keynote speaker, master life coach, Founder of VIVIAMO and podcast host.