Crafting Achievable New Year’s Resolutions: Your Blueprint for Success.

You crossed over!!

You are excited. However, at the back of your mind, there is a seated anxiety. You try to smile and make merry, but something is weighing you down. Sadly, you know exactly what it is -last year’s resolutions!

There is an exhilarating energy that comes with the new year. Perhaps it’s the amplified newness of everything. Or the hope of new possibilities. It seduces us, and we are coaxed into a whim of radical changes guided by the slogan “New Year, New Me!!”

So, if you want to change the narrative, this article is for you. Read on to discover how to create achievable New Year’s resolutions and make 2025 a year of success.

1. Slow Down.

From the second day of January of every new year, many people flock to the gym to try and achieve the body goals they didn’t attain the previous year. At the same time, they go on strict diets, only consuming green kale smoothies for survival. Not forgetting to start a new hobby of running five kilometres every morning. Crazy!!

The new habits and zeal are admirable. But are they sustainable? Slowing down in a fast-paced economy, society, and life is hard. Especially in microwave generation, we demand instant results. So, slowing down doesn’t seem like good advice, and there is the glaring fear of being left behind.

However, easing into the year is the best way to approach your New Year’s resolutions. Pace yourself and embrace a more intentional approach. Your goals deserve thoughtful consideration, making them actionable and achievable.

2. Mindful Reflections.

Research shows that when you have a list of things to do and cross off everything you did, your mind will fixate on the items not done. The mind can play tricks on us. So, step back and mindfully reflect on the previous year.

Perhaps you began the year working on your goals but fell off the wagon in July. Feasibly, you achieved some goals but didn’t take the time to notice or realize it. Therefore, take time to assess what worked and identify areas needing improvement.

Approach mindful reflections with curiosity and self-compassion. This is not a chance to nit-pick and tear yourself down. On the contrary, this will help you understand yourself better and lay a strong foundation for this year’s resolutions.

3. Take Action.

The mind has a powerful ability to build scenarios and events that have not happened, are not present or did not happen in the past. Its imagination. Sometimes, it can overwhelm us and give us a delusional reality.

Let’s say your goal is to travel more this year. Imagine boarding a plane and flying to the Maldives for a summer vacation. Or travelling to Rwanda and seeing the historical sites. Thinking about it gives you goosebumps. But here is the kicker: you do not have a passport!

This goal remains a daydream until you take the necessary actions. To travel more, you’ll need to apply for a passport and get the required travel documents. It would help to create a travel kitty for all travel expenses. Before long, you will be in the Maldives enjoying the white beaches.

4. Prioritization.

Most people fail to achieve their goals simply because they are too many. They set many goals and struggle to keep up. Eventually, they get overwhelmed and give up altogether.

It’s hard to focus on multiple things at once. Accomplishing the tasks at hand takes twice the time and effort. Even Superman can not save everyone at the same time.

Evaluate your life and determine what needs prominence. It could be your health, finances or career. Perhaps you need to exercise thrice a week. Prioritize that and work on it. Once you achieve this goal and working out becomes a habit, you can slowly add new fitness goals, like running every morning.

5. SMART Goal Setting.

For you to achieve your New Year resolutions, your goals need to be (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound).

S: Specific.

Specific goals give you clarity. They are like a road map to your destination. Specific goals answer the question: what needs to be done, who needs to do it, and how does it get done? This way, you keep your focus on the prize.

M: Measurable.

Goals that are easily attainable are also measurable. It would help if you lay down strategies to evaluate your progress.

If you want to drink 2 litres of water daily, buy a two-litre water bottle and monitor your water intake throughout the day.

Measurable goals help you track your progress. They also help you celebrate small wins, motivating you to keep going.

A: Attainable.

The new year brings about a sense of euphoria. And when you are on a goal-setting streak, you feel invisible. Nothing is beyond your reach, and you end up setting outrageous goals.

Your goal may be as ambitious as changing the world by transforming people into healthier and friendlier beings. It’s a good dream, but how do you make it attainable?

Start by being kind to yourself. After all, the person you can truly change is yourself. Tell yourself three kind words before leaving the house.

Additionally, transform your mindset into a healthier and kinder one. After a while, it trickles down to the people you interact with. You become the mirror of what you want to see. In time, your interactions with the people around you will push them to be more like you.

R: Relevant.

Relevancy is a crucial reality checker. To set relevant goals, you need to be in tune with the trajectory of your life. Where is your life headed? What is the end goal?

If you want to be a public speaker, taking public speaking classes is the next logical step. Volunteering to talk and Mc at your friend’s baby shower is a relevant step towards that dream. Enrolling in an electrical engineering class is irrelevant to this goal and can be distracting.

Relevant goals help you look at the bigger picture and the actual course of your life. It enables you to break down your goals into small, achievable steps. Eventually, this will lead to the progress and success of your revolution.

T: Time-Bound.

Effective goals should have time-related parameters built in so that all team members know how to stay on track within a specific time frame.

It would help if you tracked the progress of your goals quarterly. Have a meeting with your team and evaluate what was accomplished. This way, you tick off some goals on the list and move forward.

Whatever remains to be achieved should be discussed. Consider what’s causing the delay and what can be done about it. Then, set new goals and measure parameters around those goals to be evaluated in the next quarter.

The Take Away.

Knowing how to set achievable goals will help you succeed in life. Know what you want, be honest and work towards it. No matter how large or small your New Year’s resolutions are, you can achieve them with the above tips.

Happy New Year, Folks!!♥