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New Year’s resolutions are a form of self-love. We create them to focus on personal growth and development.
However, more than 80% of people give up by mid-February itself. They fail to break away from the old patterns and, along the way, forget the promises they made to themselves at the beginning of the year.
Undoubtedly, life gets so busy at some point, but should that be at the expense of your growth and development? Definitely not!
So why does this happen? Why do your resolutions end up being words on a piece of paper most time? These and more are what we’ll discuss in this article to ensure that you don’t end 2024 like other years – unfulfilled.
Reasons why you mostly don’t stick to your goals
I. Lack of intention
Social media influences our lives big time and dictates most of our decisions. We want to replicate what we see and this leads to setting the wrong intentions.
For example, your reason for wanting to lose weight might be because you want to look like your favorite celebrity and not because you want to have a healthy body.
This intention will not allow you to push yourself beyond a certain point in time because you are not doing it for yourself but to impress others. The starting point of the right intention is a solid resolution that is personally motivated.
II. Lack of clarity
The lack of clarity is a big contributing factor to failures. Setting resolutions is a form of goal setting and goal-setting requires a clear vision.
It is not enough to set massive goals; how about asking yourself, “Why do I want to do this?” and “How would I achieve it?”.
An honest answer to these questions gives you clarity and saves you time and resources. When you have a clear vision, it allows you to prioritize your primary goals and know what needs your urgent attention.
III. Lack of system
Most times, you’ll set your goals but have no idea how to go about achieving them. As much as goal-setting is important, having a clear system or pattern is more important.
For example, instead of writing, “I want to lose weight,” write, “I will work out for 45 minutes, three times a week.”. By doing that, you’ve clearly stated the systems required to achieve your intention, which are specific, time-bound, and achievable.
IV. Procrastination
Procrastination is a subtle yet big hindrance to achieving intentions. It leads to a waste of time and diverts your mind from focusing on the things that matter, leading to delays in actions.
And time is an essential asset that, when lost, cannot be regained. This year, delete “I will” from your vocabulary because it’s a future statement that doesn’t have a timeline.
7 simple ways to master your goals mindfully
1. Have the right mindset
Setbacks are bound to happen in the journey of achieving a goal. Your real tests are the days when you feel like giving up but you shouldn’t. Cultivating a resilient mindset will help you stay energized for success.
2. Prioritize one goal
Create a list of things you desire to achieve, then select the one that tops the list or is the most urgent. Be realistic about what is important, choose the non-negotiables, and work on them until you are an expert.
3. Master one goal
A jack of all trades is a master of none. If your goals are similar to this example: “This year I will: read books, lose weight, earn 100,000 dollars, wake up early, and so on,” then you are pursuing desires, not goals.
Select a primary task, gain expertise on it, and move on to the next. Focus and commitment hold massive power in the school of goal setting. It takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days to make it a lifestyle.
4. Focus on specifics
Does the vision board only have pictures of a car? A good body? Instead, picture the exact car you want and put your goal weight on the board. Have clarity when setting your goals. The greater the specifics, the clearer your vision.
5. Start slow
No one ever became an expert overnight. Avoid rushing into things because, as popularly said, “if you rush in, you’ll rush out!”
You have 11 more months to go so take it one goal at a time. And if your goals are overwhelming, cut them down. When you focus on improving by 1% every day, you will eventually end up getting what you want.
6. Have a measurable action plan
A measurable action plan allows you to measure your progress. It helps you track your actions and keeps you accountable at all times.
Accountability keeps you aware and helps you determine if you are heading in the right direction or if you need to change your strategies and devise a new route.
7. Celebrate the small milestones
A little progress is better than no progress. Small wins would collectively count as a big result in the future so reward yourself for any little milestone achieved, whether it’s slowly building your morning habits or finishing a personal development book.
In Conclusion,
Let 2024 be the year your resolutions turn into reality. Approach your goals with the right intention, a clear vision, a system that works, and a commitment to overcome procrastination.
And do not forget to applaud and celebrate your transformation process and journey.
Feeling stressed already about how to tackle so much?
Personal development can often overwhelm us. Here are some wellness trends that you can apply to stress less and get more done.
