Starting anew this 2021 is necessary for most of us. How do we do it? Instead of forcing ourselves to diet, exercise and go crazy over the career ladder, why not try something different? Here’s how to!
We’ve all been there: a new year begins and we regret all the goals we weren’t able to achieve and fret over it. The only thing we get out of that is disappointment. On the other hand, 2020 has been a year where a lot of us struggled to actually stay sane, so it’s absolutely necessary to infuse some positivity to 2021. Let’s start by changing the focus and asking ourselves different questions:
- How do I want to feel? This resolution helps me get closer to that? Or makes me feel overwhelmed?
- Are you restricting yourself instead of making you feel fuller? Check if this resolution is actually taking away some of the things you enjoy –if it does, reconsider it.
- Am I going to be able to do it? Is it something that I really want?
The key factor here is for you to choose your objectives wisely and to be honest with yourself.
The key factor here is for you to choose your objectives wisely. To make sure you are actually going to accomplish your goals, it is necessary for you to understand that changing habits is not easy –you need to take baby steps. If you want to create a long-lasting change, there are some aspects you should consider.
Be realistic: Dream big, but break it into small steps
Your ultimate goal might seem unattainable right now, but don’t worry, life is about perseverance and trying. Think about how to build your confidence and what you need to learn in order to achieve it. Let’s suppose you want to learn a new language and you enroll in a ten-hour a week course of French, in a month, you might end up exhausted and drop the course. Be realistic: instead, try to commit to completing the beginner level in a year and by the end of the year you will have achieved one of your goals –you’ll feel much more satisfied with yourself and you’ll be able to have a friendly chat in another language.
Be specific and commit yourself
Set realistic, specific, goals: you can start with 30-day goals and some others that are long-term goals. The more specific and realistic the goal, the more likely it will be achieved. You can try writing down your goal and put it where you can see it every day –I keep a list of the things I want to achieve in my fridge to make sure I see them every day. I also keep a journal of the whole process and write encouraging messages to myself. After a few months I compare where I used to be and where I got, and I can’t believe what I can achieve without even realizing it. It feels so good to cross out the things that I've achieved!
Take baby steps and give yourself a medal
Work toward your goal one day at a time. You can always start again if you fall behind or forget a day. But always make sure you are patient and kind to yourself. Remember it can take 30 to 60 days to make a new habit stick or to break an old one.
Try to learn from the past
If in 2020 you weren’t able to achieve one of your goals, ask yourself if maybe it was too big a goal, then in 2021 remember to break the big dream into smaller steps. You should also ask yourself whether it was something that you actually wanted to achieve or if it was something you thought you had to do.
Appreciate yourself
Be thankful for what you do: there is nothing like perfection in this life. Any step that you have taken towards your goal, is better than none. Maybe next year you will achieve it.
Always remember that life is a journey, not a destination. I know it may sound like a cliché, and it might as well be one, but seizing the day is all we have.
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