New Years Eve Tradition: Reflection and Resolution

For many of the past 15 years, I have observed my own solitary New Year's Eve tradition. It started when I was 15 and I decided to write New Year’s resolutions for the first time. I made myself a fancy beverage- the first year it was just a mixture of various juices. Many other years it has been a cup of tea fixed up to be a little festive. This year I'm finally having a cup of Oolong tea which I've been craving for the past few months. (I have never been interested in alcohol, but it could easily be that type of fancy beverage if you so desire.)

And I sat down to reflect quietly and write my resolutions, before the prized possession of my teen years: An electric typewriter from the 80s. That thing was LOUD. The whole house could probably hear me type. 

I have since, donated the typewriter and write my resolutions in my notebooks at the time. 

I have found that goal setting and resolutions have become an important part of maintaining my happiness and directing my life; as much as one can direct one’s life in a chaotic world. 

I want to share my method with you. This is for anyone who is feeling a little lost about how to set, and then, keep resolutions and pursue goals diligently.  

 

 

Reflection:

 

It all starts with reflection, because a good resolution starts with a good foundation. 

You may need to ask yourself some questions in order to determine where you want to direct your attention and energy this year. Think about what makes you unhappy in your life, and how you can change it. Think about what makes you feel fulfilled or happier and how can you get more of that in your life. Consider what problems you are having in life, and most importantly, think about how you can work towards solving these in ways that you can actually commit to. If a solution doesn't realistically work for you, chances are you are writing an impossible resolution to stick to. These commitments need to be realistic for you. If you over-burden yourself or are too strict, or vague, most likely you will not be able to follow through, or you will follow through but it will not be very healthy for you or may contribute to burnout and unhappiness.

The goal is never to work yourself half to death, you should be able to enjoy your day to day existence to a reasonable degree, while also working towards goals you can enjoy when you get there. 

A goal will not change who you are, fundamentally. The you who you are right now, with the challenges you have now will be the one working towards this progress. This should be duly considered when you set your commitments and write goals, to do lists and resolutions. 

For instance, I have ADD, I am not naturally good at time management or remembering what I'm supposed to do unless it is written down. So, I have to consider this when I plan my commitments, and I often have to write out weekly and monthly intentions. Resolutions are just yearly intentions, and they are in constant review. It is okay for focus to change due to changing circumstances, but you can modify how you are working towards your overall goals and priorities monthly or weekly. 

 

 

Priorities:

 

Next, take some time to make note of your main priorities in life. I usually have about four to six general areas I focus on. For example: Health, Writing, Relationships, Financial Stability, Reading, in order to learn more. They can be other things, such as a specific relationship, a specific objective or interest, school, your career, God or another spiritual thing, or art. Whatever happens to be important to you.

Every year, the priorities may shift a little bit. It is very helpful to be aware of what you are generally interested in focusing on in life, so that you can remember to orient some attention to each category. It helps to have the list written out and then at least impressed upon your mind, so that you can split some time between each of the categories. 

 

 

Goals and Resolutions:

 

Then, I like to set some general goals that branch off from the priorities and take into account the reflecting from earlier. 

I like to set goals and keep them separate from resolutions, because I think resolutions are more useful for detailing how you plan to achieve or work towards the specific goals. The goals themselves can be more general, and the resolutions are a plan, so are more specific and detail action. 

One of my goals is to "eat better," which, sure, is very general and different for every person. For me, it means cooking more often, eating a vegetable or two on a regular basis, making sure I get enough of certain nutrients like iron and eating a decent amount of protein, because I feel better when I do these things. So the resolution to accompany this goal is to reflect on my diet weekly to keep track if I am getting the right nutrients, and to fix one healthy meal (healthy for me,) per week. I try to make it easy, because I don't like to put too much focus into diet or food. I just want to stay loosely on track since I feel better when I do. 

A goal like: "write a book" is a decent goal- but, it needs to be followed up with a plan if you ever hope to actually finish your book. Spending just one hour each week writing or outlining can give you the push you need to gain traction in the beginning stages of the project, and any work done is a step closer to completing your goal. The “one hour a week” style of resolution could be workable for a majority of busy people who also have creative goals. 

But it is also important to take into account whether it is time to pursue a certain goal yet, perhaps right now you just are not ready or don't have the time or energy to commit. Ultimately, it isn't very helpful to force things when then timing just isn't right. 

 

 

After Writing your Resolutions:

 

I would recommend you make a list of weekly objectives so that you will remember what you have to do during your week. It can be in the form of a checklist or to-do list, or just list intentions that you want to keep in mind.

You could even keep a bullet journal if you were so inclined and keep the weekly objectives as a regular page in your journal.  

I also like to set goals for the whole month that I would like complete. These may be like bigger chunks towards achieving a goal. For example, eliminating a certain pile of clutter, if one of your goals is getting organized.

I wish you all the luck in setting, and keeping your resolutions, and working towards those goals, one day at a time. And hey, if you ever drop the ball, that’s okay, the whole house of cards has not collapsed. You can still keep chipping away at those goals little by little, even if you don’t always keep to any resolution or list perfectly. 

 

Happy New Year!