Every January many of us make resolutions for the New Year, yet few of us keep them. I personally can think of a few that were difficult to keep, maybe because I was too ambitious or maybe they were not in line with my values. I wanted to know how the young people view New Year’s resolutions so I asked my son for his opinion. This is what he said:
“Perhaps the outlying cause that makes keeping our resolutions so hard is how glamorised the start of the new year often is. “New year, new me” is a phrase that is commonly thrown around during this time of the year. Another well-known phrase that perhaps hits closer to home is “old habits die hard”.
The feeling of a fresh start is invigorating to many, as it allows people to view their lives objectively, which in turn allows them to realise their unlimited potential for growth. Even so, this dopamine rush is usually short lived.
Setting high-achieving goals requires no effort, as everyone dreams big. Chasing those dreams is a whole other story. What people tend to overlook is that ambitious goals require an ambitious drive, and the tremendous amount of effort required to achieve these high-reaching goals releases a minimal amount of dopamine in comparison to the act of simply daydreaming about possibilities.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day”. This adage perfectly describes the nature of almost all the hefty goals that we set for ourselves at the start of each year. Time, patience and consistency can be considered the trifecta of achieving success.
Life in itself is the compounding of efforts. Taking slow, consistent and deliberate steps towards a goal are necessary to build a solid foundation for success. When broken down to simple steps, even the most outrageous and unfathomable endeavours are possible.
Virtually any skills can be learnt within a year by simply dedicating as little as 20-30 minutes daily. With such minimal yet consistent effort, one can master a skill and be ahead of the majority of the population in whatever field they wish to thrive in.
In my opinion, the reason people easily give up on their new year resolutions is not the lack of conviction or mindset, but rather the lack of consistency – ultimately coming down to habits. Habits cannot be formed in a day or a night. They require deliberate planning at the start, and become second-nature with enough consistency.
A concept that is often mentioned in literature is keystone habits. These are habits that can spread out to other parts of one’s life – often unintentionally.
Think of a person that works out consistently every week. While their main focus might be to improve their physique or to be healthier, the byproduct of this action is being more disciplined, as working out also requires specific meals and tracking macronutrients for some people. This discipline eventually seeps into other aspects of their lives, helping them concentrate better, study better and generally minimise the effects of perpetual procrastination”.
Finally, whether you're making resolutions or not, I wish you all a happy new year full of happiness, success and fulfilment.
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