Posted by WeCare Team on 12/31/2021 to
Fun
Christmas has past and New Year’s is staring us down. Hopefully, 2022 will prove to be a very good year. Yesterday (December 30th) served as “National Resolution Planning Day,” reminding us to develop our plans for the new start of a new year.
In reality, whether the new year is good or not is really up to us. Regardless of what may happen or Omicron continues challenging us, how we approach the events leads us to conclude the “quality” of 2022.
Studies indicate that most people who make New Year Resolutions fail to see them through past January. So, how do we set goals or resolutions to help us determine the success or failure of the new year? Here are FOUR ideas to get you started along the path of your personal journey.
1. IDENTIFY A DESIRED OUTCOME
What is something you would like to achieve during the course of this new year? Learn a new language? Start a new hobby? Brush up on an old skill? Meet new friends? Exercise more? Lose a little of the holiday weight?
Decide on a desired outcome that, when you look back at the end of 2022, you can say this really helped make my year wonderful.
For me, I have identified two specific areas. Firstly, I really hope to soon return to visit Europe; therefore, I am seeking to improve the little bit of German I “can” speak and understand. Secondly, I intend to be more “present” in my family’s and friends’ lives. If I can accomplish these two elements, 2022 will be a great year for me.
2. WRITE THE OUTCOMES DOWN
A Dominican University of California study (https://tinyurl.com/49zpns9u), focusing on strategies for achieving goals and resolutions divided 267 participants into five groups.
• The first group had to think about their goals, rating them according to various factors but not writing them down. This group achieved a 43 percent overall success rate of at least 50%.
• The second group did the same, but this group wrote the goals down.
• The third group did the same as the second while also writing their action commitments.
• The fourth group wrote their goals, actions steps, and shared those action commitments with a friend.
• The final group the same as Group 4, but also sent their friends weekly progress updates. Seventy-Six (76) percent of this group achieved their goals or at least 50%.
Writing down our desired outcome accomplishes the following for us, helping us achieve greater success.
• Provides clarity on what we specifically want to achieve.
• Removes “wiggle room” when times are tough and our motivation missing.
• Reminds us of what we believe will make our lives successful.
3. DEVELOP WRITTEN ACTION STEPS
This is nothing more than written ways we will accomplish our goals. It is a simple, cost-free measure of helping us identify how we intend to achieve success.
For example, to improve my German language skills, I will:
• Register for a free account on Duolingo
• Spend no less than 15 minutes per day learning German
• Once each week I will attempt to read a German publication on the internet
This isn’t hard, it simply helps us stay focused, moving us toward success.
Another option is to write out specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based (S.M.A.R.T.) goals. Perhaps you are familiar with these as they have become very popular in the business world. Again, it is simply a method to help us plan and achieve our goals.
4. PERIODICALLY REVIEW YOUR LIST OF GOALS
Taking the time to review our goals and action steps creates an evaluation tool for us. It helps us to know if we are on track toward success, need to modify our plan, or have achieved our desired outcome.
In our church, we recently discussed the difference between a “dream” and a “fantasy.” Many ideas flowed on what separated the two, but we reached the conclusion the separating element is ACTION.
The absence of action leaves us holding a fantasy. I may not reach my dream even though I have taken action, failure is guaranteed by my inaction.
At nxtgen Closet, our desire is to help improve the lives of others…and we act on that dream. Helping you achieve your goals and resolutions with these proven ideas is one way we demonstrate our heart to see your life improved. You help improve the lives of others every time you shop in our store when you choose a specific non-profit to receive 10% of your purchase amount and nxtgen Closet adds another 10% to the total.
We have established and written our desired outcomes, action steps, and regularly evaluate our progress. Will you join us in making life better for others?