Why I am ditching New Year Resolutions and Why You Should Too!

Happy 2019!

I am sure you have seen tons of posts recapping 2018 and sharing resolutions for 2019. Well, I am about to tell you why am I not making any resolutions this year and why you shouldn’t either.

To me the word resolution is very harsh and way too decisive; mainly because it lacks clarity and is based on high expectations. And let’s be honest when something is very difficult to do all at once it will most likely never get done.

Now don’t get me wrong, goals are very important but I make sure before I set any of them I figure out why I want to achieve them in the first place. Is it because everyone else is doing it? Am I doing it for me or someone else? Is this really a goal my gut is telling me to follow?

Once I figure out who I am doing it for and why then I change the word resolution to intention. It sounds a lot less harsh and doesn’t carry the weight of all the expectations that come from “resolutions”. After all, almost 80% of people who set NYE resolutions fail within the first few months…something to think about.

I always try to make my intentions achievable. Because I am way more likely to get it done if I know I can do it. What I do next is break those intentions into small steps and work backwards to see what needs to be done to achieve it. For example, if my goal is to get healthy I can start by cutting out some junk food out of my diet, or adding one vegetable every day, etc. If I never exercised and want to start I will get moving on a daily basis, even if it is just for 15 mins.

When I narrow down the intentions they become wayyy easier to achieve and I become much more motivated to achieve them.

My intentions for 2019 are:

1.Focusing on being more present with my family which I will do by putting my phone and laptop away more often.

2. Travelling more. I intend on giving up some of the material items and trading them for experiences and memories instead. After all, we only live once.

3. Focusing on growing my blog and getting more email subscribers. Sooo, I still have to work this intention backwards and figure out the small steps I need to take to make it happen but will make sure sure to do it by the end of this month.

Keep in mind, if you decide that the intention you set is not right for you anymore…change it! And don’t feel pressured to achieve it immediately. You will not turn into a pumpkin if you don’t. The reason most people fail is because their resolutions are too vague and are simply unachievable within a year.

Even though many motivational speakers say that your goals need to be big enough to scare you I don’t buy it. I have seen it over and over again when the goal is too scary most people tend to drop it and never even come close to trying, even though it could have been achievable with small goals and steps.

“It’s never too late to start over. If you weren’t happy with yesterday do something today that will change your tomorrow”.