As the years always come to an end, it’s a time for many to reflect on that past year and set new goals for themselves which they hope to achieve in the next year. This is a great demonstration of the IB learner profiles reflective, open-minded, and risk taker. It also shows critical thinking. On the other hand, there’s also a huge pressure to create huge lifestyle changes, and sometimes those goals aren’t even fully sustainable. So, let’s talk about these New Year’s resolutions of ours!
First off, there’s the slogan “new year, new me,” which can apply to some people’s intentions for the year, but that doesn’t mean that you have to become a new person to make lifestyle improvements or achieve a goal for yourself. Everyone’s already extremely remarkable, and completely changing your life won’t necessarily make you more successful or happy. It can, but it’s not a guarantee, especially if your goals are motivated by society’s expectations of a happy, healthy, successful life. Small goals can be just as important as bigger ones. This being said, try making positive changes for yourself that are meaningful and sustainable. Practice self love as well, and remember that while New Year’s might be a convenient time for goal setting, it’s always useful to reflect and set new goals during the year, and not just on New Year’s.
Now, to write our New Year’s resolution, we’ll need to first reflect on this past year. You can reflect on a whole variety of things. There’s trivial questions, such as what was the best book you read this year, best movie you watched,best song you listened to, or what your favorite food was. Did you start any new hobbies? And then of course there’s also the deeper questions. What are you proud of that you did this year? What went well for you this year? If you could go back in time, is there anything you’d like to change about this year? Did you maybe achieve last year’s goals? If not, how come? If so, what helped you most to achieve those? Did I learn anything new this year (academically, socially, politically, ethically, etc.)?
Finally, let’s talk about our goals for the new year. The key is honestly to make them specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. For example, if your goal would be to start working out, don’t just write that. Create a concrete plan. How often will you work out a week? What will you do? Will you go to the gym, or go for a run? How long are you planning to do that? For this, schedule a time in your calendar to block any other activities. Routine builds habits. Moreover, what do you want to accomplish with this? Do you want to improve your cardiovascular system, or build muscles? A recommendation would be to set a 13 week milestone and reward, ending on April 1st, 2023. For example, if you work out twice a week for 13 weeks, a possible reward could be getting a new fitness top and bottom from your favorite sport brand. Try to adjust your reward to match your goal. For example, if your goal were to sleep more, you’d first have to set a specific bedtime for yourself, and then if you achieve this goal for the next 13 weeks, you could get a new pajama as a reward! Another way to make your goals more sustainable is to know your support system. Arrange these goals with friends, who will hold you accountable, and vice versa!
Happy New Year! Best wishes to everyone that they will achieve their goals for these next 12 months.
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