Ah yes, it's that time again... A New Year.
The gym will be chocked full of resolutioners with stomachs full of kale, and the Internet will be packed with "New Year, new me!" posts that nobody cares about. I'm not wrong, am I?
Let me tell you something honestly: New Year's resolutions are a scam. Just because it's a new year doesn't mean that you will be any different. In fact, it's time to cut the idea that we will ever be any different than we are today. Sure, you can work towards becoming more organized or pledge to improve at something, but on the inside, you know who you are and that won't change overnight. As a society, we need to work towards recognizing our strengths and weaknesses and build upon them rather than holding on to the false idea that we can start over every year.
New Year's Resolutions are destined to fail; have you ever met somebody who truly followed it through the year? Me neither. Every day is a new beginning, so why would you wait until the end of the year to become who you want to be? Rather than planning for the future, plan for the now. What can you do today to become a better you? Think about it, write it down, and work for it.
Resolutions fall through for the same reason most diet and exercise goals do: they are only temporary. When something is started with the intention of reaching some set goal, there is no longevity to it. In other words, they are not built to last. They are only half-hearted and half-assed and are left in the dirt weeks or months after the start date. So how do we bring about real, lasting change? We make it a lifestyle!
Lifestyle changes are the key to making a habit stick. The tough part, though, is wanting to make a change in your life. Sure, we could all improve in certain areas of our lives, but change is hard, and not many of us want to put in the work. So before you take the first step towards bettering yourself, you have to ensure that it's what you want to do. Every day will be an uphill battle between you and yourself, and you have to be ready for obstacles. You have to be ready for failure because it is inevitable. But you have to be ready for success as well, because if you work hard enough, you will achieve it.
Behavior change is multi-sided; it entails perception of one's ability to change, the perception of one's need to make a change, obstacles that could hinder one's success, self-efficacy, among other things. So with that being said, here is my advice to you, someone who wants to be better this year (and the next, and the next)!
First, set a goal and make it very specific. It should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-measurable. This is called a SMART goal, and it allows for real change to come about. Here's an example: I want to workout five days of the week for thirty minutes to an hour by February 1st. This goal meets all of the criteria of the SMART model and is the first step towards lasting change.
After you've established your goal, write down every possible thing that could keep you from reaching it. It could be anything from self-consciousness to time to materials. Once you realize what could be in your way, you can figure out how to deal with them. How can you overcome these barriers? If time is your problem, perhaps you can wake up earlier or meal prep on the weekend. If it's a matter of equipment, maybe you could find at-home workouts to complete that don't need anything other than bodyweight. Get creative and be realistic--this is the most important part of planning for your goal.
Next, all you have to do is start. The hardest part about anything is the beginning, so you just have to suck it up and give it your all. If not now, then when? If you fail, pick yourself back up and start again. Don't allow failure to be the end of your effort because then you just fall back to where you started and though you tried, you haven't made any real, lasting improvement.
Moral of the story: dump the New Year's Resolution and make today the beginning of the rest of your life. Every day is a fresh start, so take advantage of it. Cheers to a better you!
