Making Resolutions
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2019/01/01/student-life-new-years-resolutions/
New Year’s Resolutions: Find Your Resolution
New Year’s resolutions are easy to make but difficult to keep. But how do you come up with
the right resolution for you? It can be easy to decide on your New Year’s resolution when you
are packed to the brim with Christmas pudding and copious amounts of diet ads on TV. But
remember the more a resolution attends to your own ideals and wants, the more likely you
are to continue on a path to completing your goal. Here are some tips to help you make the
right resolutions for you.
Focusing the Mind
A year is a long time. Depending on the size of your goal, you my achieve your goals in the
middle of the year, the end of the year or within the first week. Establishing clear goals can
focus your mind on what is important to you and help you achieve what you want out of the
year.
Achieving something you’ve always wanted
Procrastination is delaying a task due to fear. Or at least that’s what Elizabeth Gilbert says.
And it makes a lot of sense. Personally, I have been dying to start up this blog for years and
also to start writing a novel. The need for both has been gnawing at me for a few years and
last year I decided it would be the year to start. When I started, I was afraid that it wouldn’t
work out, that no one would read it, that my friends and family wouldn’t like it. But then I
thought, I want to do it and if no one likes it, then I’ll do it for myself and that is enough.
If you think that fear is stopping you from fulfilling you ambitions, however big or small, try to
break them down into smaller steps.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2019/01/01/student-life-new-years-resolutions/
Starting is the hardest part but always keep in mind, how good you’ll feel when you have
reached your goal.
A New Start
For some the New Year seems like a new start and new opportunities. For others, the dread
of a new year, especially if the previous year was a bad one, can be overwhelming. Motivation
to change anything can be difficult when last year has taken all your energy. To this I would
say, why not set a goal to find things that make you happy?
Achieving your goals does not have to be confirmed visually. Sometimes it’s how you feel,
how you have learnt to deal with situations differently or how to spend your time more
wisely. Fulfilling a goal is measured by you, not by the way the outside world views it. Set your
goal and figure out how you’re going to measure it. This can range from how happy you feel
to how many times a day you find the beauty in something.
Be wary of multiple goals
Keep your goals small and attainable. You can always revisit them in 3 months and set new
ones. New Year’s isn’t the only time you can set goals. You can become overwhelmed when
you set too many goals
Resolution Choice
If you’re goals are dictated by the world around you and not by your individual wants and
needs, you are bound to fail. In a world where the ideal body is still thin and bronzed, it can be
difficult not wanting to fit into this mould. But think about it this way. Would you rather be
like the person on a billboard or more like yourself? There is only one person like you and you
should try and embrace it. Instead of trying to be more like a model try and be the best
version of you.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2019/01/01/student-life-new-years-resolutions/
Over the years, my resolutions have ranged from losing weight to reading more. I have
identified in the last two years, that my success with the first goal is down to me and my
mindset. However, it is my over-analysis in this area, like intense calorie counting, that sets
me back. Over the last 2-3 years I decided that my goal isn’t to be lighter but to be fitter.
Exercise has been proven to help with your mental health and in my book, that is the holy
grail. You can’t take care of others if you can’t take care of yourself.
Social Media
Beware of social media gloaters. Don’t let others’ achievements bring you down. You are on
your own path and your own journey. Enjoy it! Your experience, regardless of how well you
follow any steps (mine included), will always be different than that of other people.
How to find your New Year’s Resolution
Picking your Resolution
If I was to ask you, what is your New Year’s resolution, what is the first thing that comes to
mind? To lose weight, to be fitter? How many of your resolution ideas are ideas that come
from the TV or from Instagram from people who live a very different life than yours. How
many of these ideas are ideas that will help you day-to-day and will help you become the
best version of you? For some people, losing weight is a yearly resolution. If you think that will
make you the best person you can be and will make you genuinely happier, go for it. If you
are losing weight because you think that looking more like a celebrity is going to make you
happier, it more than likely won’t. We have to be careful about the goals we set ourselves and
how they can impact on our own self-esteem.
One resolution or twelve?
Having multiple resolutions is great but too many goals will leave you overwhelmed. There is
also a higher risk of you not even attempting your goal if you have too much to do.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2019/01/01/student-life-new-years-resolutions/
Remember, a year is a long time and depending on what your goals are, you can have one
long-term goal and a few small goals.
For example, your long-term goal might be to express and stand up for yourself in certain
situations i.e. at meetings. Your short-term goals may be to mediate every day and to
practice yoga 3 days a week. Your long-term goal will involve lots of technique learning and
learning about yourself. The short-term goals are being made on a weekly basis so they can
be monitored easily. All three goals roll into one another and will help you fulfilling your goal.
If you have multiple goals, break down the goal throughout the year into smaller milestones.
That way once you hit a certain milestone, not only will you know that you are on the right
track, but you will also feel accomplished.
Holding yourself accountable
Depending on your goal and how much you want to share your goal with others, it can be
helpful if you meet a group of like-minded people. If you want to get fit or want to learn how
to swim, there are many groups and centres around the country looking for new members. If
you have a more personal goal, sometimes it is helpful to keep a diary of accomplishments
and pitfalls. This is not suitable for everyone as sitting down at the end of the day to write in a
journal for 5 mins can be difficult. If this is the case, noting any accomplishments in the notes
section of your phone or on post its.
I am a big fan of post-its. I like to put thoughts and ideas on a post it each day and put them
in a jar. At the end of the year, reading back over them is like a time capsule. If you want, this
can be a way of tracking your goal over the year once you have accomplished it. Or better yet,
it is a great way to motivate yourself with your accomplishments to date if you have had a set
back.
Link to Original Content: https://rebeccahhammond.com/2019/01/01/student-life-new-years-resolutions/
Re-evaluating your resolutions
When it gets to the end of January and you haven’t hit a certain goal or checkpoint, take
stock of your goal. The result you are looking for, is it exactly what you want or just something
that you wanted a month ago? Just like when you are considering your goals at the start of
the year, make sure that the goal applies to you. Also reconsider the result and decide if this
is what you want and not a result you think you should want.