By: Magdalene Ko, News Writer
As 2022 rolls around, the most common procedure is to set goals for the coming year. All around me, I hear people asking ‘did you set any resolutions?’ ‘what are your goals?’ ‘my goal is to procrastinate less’. Yet how many of these resolutions are actually achievable? Majority of the time, we can barely stick to our goals for a month. Whether it be a conscious resolution or a general new expectation to achieve, the key to a successful goal isn’t making it flashy or impressive, it’s knowing yourself and adjusting your goals accordingly.
Normally, people say things like ‘I want to lose weight’, or ‘I want to read more’. However, neither of these goals are measurable or timely. They’re too general to be achieved on a step-by-step basis. Maybe you can stick to your goals in the beginning, but as the newness of your resolutions fade away, you stop working toward them, and eventually, they’re forgotten until the next year.
The first step is to be realistic about your achievements. Setting a goal you want to achieve, but will never actually be able to, is just lying to yourself. Factors like other engagements, ability, or too daunting a goal will all affect your ability to reach your goal. Before you set your resolution, you need to make your goal fit your daily life, or make time for it. If you want to work out everyday, but know you have a lot of homework on Tuesdays, your goal should be to work out everyday except Tuesday. If you workout on Tuesday, then great, you did an extra bit on your goal. If not, you won’t be disappointed and lose all motivation.
Another strategy is to make small milestones for yourself. Too big a task might seem daunting, having minor goals to reach your greater goal gives you motivation to keep going. Such milestones will prove your goal is realistic. You also won’t feel exhausted trying to reach your goal, when in reality you’re making progress. Milestones also keep you on track, moving you toward your overarching goal. Missing a milestone ties back into the realistic goals, allowing you to adjust your goals or milestones so they’re achievable but challenging.
Sharing your goals is also a great way to stay on track. Having accountability keeps you from slacking off your resolutions. If you want to be ‘nicer’ in the new year, talking your actions over with a friend is the perfect way to see the outcome of your goals. They can give honest feedback or advice about how to adjust and improve your objective. Getting a different opinion or having someone encourage you could be just the motivation to keep you working hard.
A final minor thing is to write all your expectations down. It only needs to be a small list, like a Post-It you’d see everyday, but doing so reminds you of your goal and makes it practical and achievable. Turning it into a checklist of sorts, or tracking your progress in other ways all contributes to staying on track. There’s an oddly big amount of pride and happiness when you visibly see your progress, even if it’s slower than you expected. Writing everything down is the perfect way to stay focused on your expectations for the year, even if it’s not a New Year’s resolution. Writing something like ‘remember to make a cup of tea for yourself’ is still a great way to take care of yourself.
Ultimately, remember that even if you don’t achieve your goals as quickly as you want, perseverance yields rewards. You might not see your progress, but after a while, you’ll see how far you’ve really come, and be proud of the work you’ve done. I wish you all the best of luck in accomplishing your goals!!
