New Year’s Resolutions

By Jenna Gasker '22

At the end of every December, many of us create goals for the upcoming new year. Most of these resolutions are similar, such as losing weight, exercising more often, and eating healthier. But after an entire 365 days to achieve these goals, most of them are not fulfilled. Instead, they are pushed off until the following year, creating a pointless cycle of aloof desires and empty promises. This leaves individuals feeling like they did not accomplish anything and wasted a whole year of their life. A reason for all of these unattained ambitions could be that most people are unaware of how to properly set goals. In order to have a higher probability of achieving resolutions, make sure they are SMART goals. According to www.mindtools.com, the use of this acronym, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound, will provide a New Year’s Resolution that can actually be executed.

The “s” in SMART stands for specific. Specific goals are precise and straightforward. Instead of saying “My New Year’s Resolution is to get better grades,” try “My New Year’s Resolution is to get an A in math class.” This will provide direction and pave a clear path to follow in order to reach the goal.

The next part of a SMART goal is measurable. Make sure the resolution is able to be tracked throughout the year. So replace the ambition of losing weight, or losing 30 pounds in a year, to losing three pounds every month. Measuring progress monthly, or even weekly, instead of after an entire year will provide motivation to accomplish, or even surpass, the original goal.

Along with being specific and measurable, a goal needs to be attainable. This will be different for everybody. Each person should think about what is capable of themselves and what they can accomplish in a year. A resolution cannot be too difficult since the failure of it could decrease self confidence. In return, this could reduce motivation for other resolutions. But a goal cannot be too easy because achieving an effortless objective will not provide any self satisfaction. There needs to be a healthy amount of difficulty in each goal, and that will be distinct for each individual.

Next, resolutions need to be relevant to each person’s life. If a goal is unrelated to somebody’s day to day life, then they will not be motivated to achieve it. When goal setting, each individual should deeply reflect and consider what they would like for themselves in the upcoming year. Ambitions should lead a person in a direction in which they want to take their lives, not farther away.

And the final part of a SMART goal is time-bound. This means there will be a specific deadline and the goal is able to be finished within the allotted time. This will provide a specific day to work towards as well as motivation to accomplish the aspiration in a timely matter. Additionally, the deadline can be a day to recognize and honor the prosperity of completing the goal.

Although creating a SMART goal will most likely yield a successful New Year’s Resolution, the most important part is the motivation to complete the goal. The motivation comes from within one’s self, so goals should be written according to an individual’s desires, and they should not have much influence from anybody else.

Hopefully with the combination of planning New Year’s Resolutions with the SMART acronym and the motivation to accomplish these goals, everybody can have a successful and self fulfilling 2020!