I love the new year. It’s a chance to reset and start with a clean slate. It’s a chance to take stock of the past and make decisions for the future.
But I don’t make New Year Resolutions. I don’t like them, any more than I like the word “diet”. A diet is something temporary. “I need to lose weight for a wedding, so I’m on a diet.” We all know that once the event is over, the diet will be over too. Well, when the New Year is over (sometime around mid-January), so too will be the New year Resolutions. They are temporary by the very definition of their name.
I prefer to set long-term goals at the beginning of the year. I set targets and challenges, and make plans for them. I talk about “lifestyle changes”, because this phrase implies something that is permanent, or at least more permanent than something that only applies while the year is new.
Set a goal that requires some effort, but is not unrealistic. Set a goal that is tangible, but that is also flexible enough to allow for changing circumstances.
Most importantly, set a goal that allows your mindset to know that this is something long-term. It is something to work towards, rather than necessarily achieve quickly. If possible, set intermediate milestones along the way. Achieving milestones makes us feel good and keeps us motivated for the bigger picture.
Anyway, I’m off to start my New Year diet… I should be done by dinner time.
Stamullen Martial Arts 