To resolve or not to resolve….

Published on: January 2, 2025

Filled Under: well-being

Views: 40

This is the time of year a lot of people make new year’s resolutions. And, of course, the ongoing joke of how long it takes for many people to drop their resolve in these often difficult behavior changes. The behavior changes are often chosen without a plan of action and without intentional support. Something like adding a stop at the gym during your day is actually a significant behavior change and one that doesn’t often have immediate results which can make it very difficult to maintain.

To be more successful at making a significant change for your new year, consider making your new goal less rigid – less fail or succeed with nothing in between. In other words, approach the change by setting in intention instead of a hardcore resolution. There’s a significant different in self-talk when it comes to “I intend to read more this year” versus “I resolve to read more this year.” Even something like “I will read a book a month” may be difficult to accomplish despite it sounding like it’s a SMART goal (SMART=specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time bound). If making SMART goals works for you – go for it! But for others, finding a way to bring your intention into your everyday awareness and making your intention accessible is another approach. For example, if my intention is to read more books this year, I have to make sure I have my book with me just about all the time. But also to think ahead through my day and identify when I would have opportunities to read. And then I have to think “even if that is a time I could read – will I have the energy or desire to do it then? If so – how much and what will I feel good about as far as how much reading will feel successful to me?” This is a gentler approach to change and it has many of the features of a SMART goal but with more flexibility and less self-judgement.

Below is a sample chart to help you think through your intentions for the year.

Name your Intention When Can You Do It How Much or Often is Needed to Feel Successful Did You Do it? If you did it, how can you continue doing it. If you didn’t, what adjustment is needed?
Read more books Lunch time, weekends At least 10 pages a week Yes! Seeing the progress through the book will help
         
         
         
         

 

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