How to increase the probability of success in my New Years resolutions?
The psychological pillars to move from wishes to deeds in the face of New Year's resolutions.
The word "resolution" can be defined as the intention or the mood by which an action is performed or not performed. It is the goal to be achieved or attained.
In this sense, since many years ago, human beings have started to set a series of resolutions at the beginning of each year, with the hope of change or improve different aspects or areas of our lives..
"I want to start practicing some sport", "I should organize myself to have a healthier diet", "I would like to travel more this year", "I have to read all the books I bought last year and haven't started yet", "I want to quit smoking", "I am going to have a makeover", etc. This is the discourse of many people at the beginning of the year, in January, or even at the beginning of a new academic year, in September. However, after a few weeks or months, these objectives that were raised with enthusiasm and illusion, remain in the air and incomplete.
Thus, there are people who have begun to reject the approach of these New Year's resolutions, because they predict that they will not achieve their goals and, thus, avoid feeling frustration after their failure. They also justify this rejection by claiming that they prefer to live day by day, without focusing too much on the future. But is this a solution? Should we avoid the famous New Year's resolutions or are they an option that can benefit us to achieve our goals?
Is it worth making these resolutions?
There are studies that show that setting a series of goals at the beginning of a new year can have multiple benefits for our overall health.. For example, one of these benefits would be on an emotional level, since when we invest part of our time in those areas of life that are important to us with the idea of fulfilling those resolutions, we feel fulfilled, proud, happy or more energetic. In addition, when we finally achieve that goal, we feel really satisfied.
It should be added that the fact of setting ourselves a series of goals will promote self-knowledge, because in order to be able to choose those goals that we want to achieve, we need to be able to choose the ones we want to achieve.In order to choose those goals to achieve, we first need to ask ourselves "who am I?", "what do I want/need?", "what drives me in life?", etc. And, of course, this increases our level of empowerment, since we are the ones who decide what to do with our time, dispelling that feeling of living on autopilot or feeling dragged down by routine.
Finally, we cannot forget that getting down to work to fulfill those resolutions we have set, will help us to train our capacity for planning and time organization, as well as other skills related to theas well as other skills related to problem solving and goal achievement.
In general, setting new goals at a professional or personal level and carrying them out, makes you become the protagonist of your life, of your story, thus promoting your well-being.
Why do only 10% achieve all their proposed goals?
A study by the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania) concluded that only 10% of the population manages to achieve all the resolutions they set for themselves. You probably feel identified. But why do we find it so difficult?
On many occasions, the resolutions we set ourselves are wishes or dreams expressed in a diffuse or ambiguous way: "I want to learn languages", "I want to learn languages", "I want to learn languages".I want to learn languages", "I'm going to do more sports", etc. If we are not clear about what exactly we want or how we can achieve it, the probability of success will be greatly reduced.
On other occasions, the goals we define are not coherent or realistic with our situation, lifestyle or values.. This is very important, since the probability of abandonment increases if any of these circumstances occur when planning the goals we want to achieve.
Another of the causes that can cause us not to achieve our goals are overloading ourselves. Even if we define our goals well, are clear about how we are going to implement each one of them, are consistent with our situation and aligned with our values ... if we propose too many, we will be saturated and, again, we are likely to fail.
- Related article, "How to generate new healthy habits?"
Is there a strategy to help me achieve my resolutions?
Yes, in fact, I recommend that you put it into practice, as it will make it much easier for you to achieve your goals. However, it is important that, first of all, you determine what are the reasons why, so far, you do not achieve what you propose. In this way, it will be easier for you to correct those variables that are preventing success. Secondly, it will be interesting for you to know and apply the "SMART" technique, which I will explain below.technique, which I will explain below.
How can this tool help us? It will help us to check if our purpose is defined or if it is attainable, as well as to put it into action. To put it into practice, we must answer the following questions and reflect on our answers.
S ("Specific"): What do I want to achieve? How am I going to put it into practice? And when?
It is very important that we determine, in a specific way, what we are trying to achieve, without ambiguity.. For example: "I want to do sports. I will go to the gym in Severo Ochoa Street on Mondays at 6:00 pm and on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:30 pm. I will be there for about 1 hour and I will start on January 24", instead of "I want to do sports". As in the example, our objectives should be defined as clearly as possible.
M ("Measurable"/ "Measurable"): How will I know if I have achieved it?
Another action that will help us to be consistent with our resolutions is to make sure that we are doing itThat is to say, we will set certain parameters to know if we are achieving it.
For example: "Every time I go to the gym when I set out to do so, I will record it in my calendar." Keep in mind that keeping a daily written record of your achievements can increase your motivation. If you are off target or your memories of what you have achieved so far are inaccurate, you can become more easily demotivated.
A ("Attainable"): Is it in my power to achieve it, and am I prepared to do it?
An attainable goal is one that is achievable, i.e. not impossible.. They may be easy or difficult to achieve, but they are feasible for us. It is interesting to analyze your current situation, your context, your possibilities, etc., and set goals that are within your reach. For example, if I only have 1 free hour a day from Monday to Friday, I cannot propose to go to the gym for an hour if, in addition, it takes me 45 minutes to get there.
R ("Relevant"): Does it make me feel true to my values?
In general, we can define "values" as those principles or qualities that are important to each person.. We each have our own values and they are defined by the education we have received, the culture in which we have grown up and specific experiences. Normally, although there may be exceptions, a person's values tend to always be the same and, depending on where they are in their life, they will prioritize some more than others. For example: family, friendship, learning, justice, autonomy, respect, etc.
When we choose a purpose according to our values, the probability of achieving it increases. Thus, to check if I am being consistent with myself, I have to analyze if what I think, feel and do goes in the same direction.
T ("Time-bound"): When do I start? What is the deadline to achieve it?
Another thing to keep in mind when setting a goal is that it should have a start date and a deadline. that it has a start date and an end date.. In addition, if we divide it into small goals, we can set several specific deadlines to achieve our purpose, avoiding that we postpone it at the last minute.
In this sense, those objectives set with a specific duration will become a challenge for us.
Of course, the duration we set has to be realistic.. Let's imagine that "I want to learn B1 French" and I set a deadline of one week. If my current level is beginner, that is to say, I know practically nothing about the language, perhaps it is unrealistic, because in one week it is complicated for me to acquire the B1 level, taking into account the time I can dedicate to it and my abilities, etc.
Once we have learned how to put into practice the SMART technique described above, we can get down to work with our New Year's resolutions! What are you waiting for?
Author: Maribel Martín, General Health Psychologist at Centro Rapport Psicología.
(Updated at Apr 13 / 2024)