• According to research, making resolutions based on need or a change is proven to be effective as compared to working with them as a tradition
• 23 per cent of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week and 43 per cent by the end of January
Image: HANDOUT
Happy New Year!
We are already halfway through the first month.
By this time, I know most of us have probably noted down what our resolutions for the new year are and have even started working on them.
Others are yet to start writing them down.
There are also some who did not entirely fulfil some of their resolutions for the previous year and have carried them over to the new year.
For me, writing down New Year's resolutions has become a tradition, a culture coupled with a new vision board for every new year.
These are the first steps I take to make sure I know my plans for the year, strategise and manifest as well as work on being intentional on what I want.
I had the chance to cross over to the new year with my closest friends, and while we were making a toast, everyone mentioned at least one resolution they had on their list.
“I am quitting alcohol and focusing on my spiritual life and God,” one person said.
“I will be quitting my job and working on my own thing this year,” another said.
“I am looking for love this year… something that is long term,” another added.
“This year, I do not have a long list of resolutions. 2023 was a tough year for me where I cried a lot, so my one and only resolution this year is to be happy. That’s it,” another one said.
We did the toast, danced through the night and dawn came.
As we were seated outside,we discussed the resolutions we had made earlier and asked if such things do come to pass.
“Does manifestation for something different and/or new at the start of a new year really work? Do these resolutions come to pass?” one friend asked.
“Why do we have to go through the trouble of creating vision boards and writing long lists of things we expect to do? Why don’t we just cheer to a new year and build up more on spontaneity?”
Well, I felt like he was asking the right questions. I mean, why not just let the year take its course?
I got to learn that he has never really written down or made or even believed in making New Year resolutions.
“I really do not see the point if I normally see people quitting on plans they made for the year,” he said.
What may come, will or will not come.
Yet again, I felt that it is a matter of belief and need or change that will lead someone to come up with resolutions.
The conversation grew and reached a point where I even shared a survey, with him that I saw on an online blog by the Ohio State University.
The survey stated that research shows that 23 per cent of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43 per cent by the end of January.
“Some of the reasons why people seem to fail at New Year resolutions include so many of them are set because it is a tradition and rarely start at a time of change or need and little to no expectation of obstacles,” the survey read in part.
“Other reasons also include not setting goals into challenging, measured but smaller chunks, as well as accountability.”
The survey also indicated that to achieve one’s resolutions, goals need to be set because of a need or a change that results in motivation to achieve them.
It also stated that one needs to be optimistic, identify obstacles and create plans to avoid barriers. Setting accountability with friends can go a long way in having successful resolutions, as can an electronic calendar or even using technology and measuring goals to show progress and provide inspiration.
To add my own point, believing in yourself and what you intend to do as well as manifesting will also go a long way in actually seeing to it that your resolutions work out.
The tongue is a very powerful weapon as you all know, then why not make good use of it and speak of good things in one's life? But with caution, of course.
Coming up with a vision board and writing your goals down is the icing on the cake.