With 2016 coming to a close, everyone is pretty grateful. This seemed to be a year like no one has ever seen before. People are literally counting down the days until it's over. It's time for a new year and new resolutions!
Something about the new year makes everyone want to erase their past mistakes. They think the new year brings a blank slate to start all over again. 2016 was a wild ride and I'm sure we all have some things we wish we could have changed or done differently.
No one likes change, but when New Year's comes around, everyone sits down and thinks about what they want to accomplish in the upcoming year. Do you want to eat healthier? Maybe lose some weight? Finally break that bad habit you've had for years? All good choices.
Goals are good, but a lot of the time we set unattainable standards for ourselves, and then we are only left disappointed. It's unrealistic to think you will lose 30 pounds in a month or transform into a healthy guru. New Year's resolutions require hard work, and a lot of the time, people aren't up for the challenge. Everyone says they want to change, but sometimes nothing gets done.
Setting unattainable goals can actually be bad for your health. Think about it this way: if you told yourself you would never eat chocolate again, and then had some the next day, you'd feel like a failure. Now imagine feeling that every time you accidentally slip up on your goals. You'll start to feel pretty bad about yourself, and it could even lead to depression for some people.
It also feeds into a culture of failure. It's easy to get swept up in the spirit of the new year, but when you set huge goals, it's hard to accomplish anything. An article from the Huffington Post suggests there are three stages to the culture of failure. First, failure becomes excusable. Since you set such high expectations for yourself, it's only natural that you think it's okay to not achieve the goal. Then, it becomes acceptable. After not following through with what you planned to do, you might set lower goals in the future. Finally, the failure becomes flat out expected, and no one wants that.
Everyone needs to set clear and attainable goals this year. It's important to be aware of what you are and are not capable of, so you don't make promises to yourself that you can't keep. That's not to say you can't dream big, but those aspirations may be more long-term goals for your future.
The new year is as good a time as any to make some changes in your life. But you shouldn't strive for things you won't be able to accomplish. This will only hurt you in the long run. 2016 was one for the books, so the most important thing to do is try to be happy in 2017.
