How To Increase The Probability Of Success In My New Year’s Resolutions?
The word “purpose” can be defined as the intention or spirit by which an action is performed or not performed. It is about the objective that is intended to be achieved or achieved.
In this sense, for many years, human beings have begun 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 life
“I want to start playing sports”, “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 I haven’t started yet”, “I want quit smoking”, “I’m going to get a makeover”, etc. This is the speech of many people at the beginning of the year, in the month of January, or even at the beginning of a new academic year, in the month of September. However, after a few weeks or months, these objectives that were set with enthusiasm and enthusiasm, remain in the air and uncompleted.
In this way, there are people who have begun to reject the approach of these New Year’s resolutions, because they predict that they are not going to achieve their goals and, thus, avoid feeling that frustration after their failure. They also justify this rejection by claiming that they prefer to live day to 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?
There are studies that show that Setting a series of goals at the beginning of a new year can have multiple benefits for our health in general 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 purposes, we feel fulfilled, proud, happy or with more energy. Furthermore, when we finally managed to achieve that goal, we felt really satisfied.
It should be added that The fact of setting ourselves a series of goals will promote self-knowledge, because in order to choose those objectives to achieve, we first need to ask ourselves “who am I?”, “what do I want/need?”, “what moves 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 by routine.
Finally, we cannot forget that, getting down to work to fulfill those purposes that we have set, It will help us train our ability to plan and organize time as well as other skills related to problem solving and achieving goals.
In general, setting new goals on 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 objectives?
A study from the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania) concluded that only 10% of the population manages to fulfill all the goals they set. You probably feel identified. But why does it cost us so much?
On many occasions, The purposes we set are desires or dreams expressed in a diffuse or ambiguous way: “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, those purposes that we define are not consistent or realistic with our situation, lifestyle or our values This is very important, since the probability of abandonment increases if any of these circumstances occur when planning the objectives we want to achieve.
Another cause that can cause us to not achieve our goals is overload ourselves Even if we define our objectives well, we are clear about how we are going to implement each of them, they are consistent with our situation and related to our values… if we propose too many, we will become saturated and, again, we will likely fail.
Is there a strategy that helps me achieve my goals?
Yes, in fact, I recommend that you put it into practice, as it will make it much easier for you to achieve your goals. Of course, it is important that, first of all, you determine the reasons why, until now, you have not achieved what you set out to do. This way, it will be easier for you to correct those variables that are preventing success. In second place, It will be interesting for you to know and apply the “SMART” technique which I explain below.
SMART? How can this tool help us? It will help us to check if our purpose is defined or if it is affordable, 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, specifically, what we are trying to achieve, without ambiguity For example: “I want to play sports. I’m going to go to the gym on Severo Ochoa Street on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:30 p.m. I will be there for approximately 1 hour and I will start on January 24th.”, instead of “I want to play sports.” As in the example, our objectives must be defined as clearly as possible.
M (“Measurable”/ “Measurable”): How will I know if I have achieved it?
Another action that will help us be consistent with our purposes is make sure we’re doing it ; That is, we will set certain parameters to know if we achieve it.
For example: “Every time I go to the gym when I have decided to, I will record it on my calendar.” Keep in mind that keeping a daily written record of your achievements can increase your motivation. If you lose focus on the goal or your memories of what you have achieved so far are not accurate, you can become demotivated more easily.
A (“Attainable”/ “Affordable”): Is it in my power to achieve it? Am I prepared to carry it out?
An attainable goal is one that we can achieve, that is, it is not impossible They may be easy or difficult to achieve, but they are doable for us. It is interesting that you analyze your current situation, your context, your possibilities, etc., and that you establish objectives that are within your reach. For example, if I only have 1 hour free daily from Monday to Friday, I cannot plan to go to the gym for an hour if it also takes me 45 minutes to get there.
R (“Relevant”/ “Pertinent”): 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 concrete 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 in accordance with our values, the probability of achieving it increases. In this way, 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.
You may be interested: “The 10 types of values: principles that govern our lives”
T (“Time-bound”): When do I start? What is the deadline to achieve it?
Another thing that must be taken into account, when setting a goal, is that has a start date and an end date Furthermore, if we divide it into small goals, we can set several specific deadlines for completion until we achieve our goal, preventing us from postponing it at the last minute.
In this sense, those objectives set for a specific duration will become a challenge for us.
Yes indeed, That duration that we establish must be realistic Let’s imagine that “I want to learn B1 French” and I set my deadline in one week. If my current level is a beginner, that is, I practically do not know the language, perhaps it is unrealistic, since in one week it is difficult 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 the SMART technique described above into practice, we can now get to work on our New Year’s resolutions! What are you waiting for?
Author: Maribel Martín, General Health Psychologist at Rapport Psychology Center.
