Centuries later, similar traditions were practiced by the Romans and although their new year once began in March, it soon shifted to January 1st where the day would be filled with oath-taking and temple sacrifices. These principles of renewal and re-affirmation continue to crop up everytime January 1st comes around. People all around the world set goals and commit themselves to be better or do better in some area of their lives.
Popular new year resolutions include:
- To lose weight/get fit/eat healthier.
- Spend less/save money.
- Quit smoking.
- Travel to new places.
- Spend more time with family.
- Learn something new: an instrument, a language etc.
People tend to look at their bad habits and try (for the next 12 months) to get rid of them or improve themselves in some way. These days people must not be very good at keeping their commitments since people seem to associate new year resolutions with failure and giving in. The joke goes that people try to keep their resolutions for as long as January or February. They might even make it to March but somewhere along those string of months that make up the 365 day year, those optimistic goals seem to evaporate and are long forgotten by December.
A recent study in the US showed that 45% of Americans usually make New Year Resolutions. 8% said they were successful in achieving them. The study also showed that people who explicitly make resolutions are ten times more likely to attain their goals than those people who do not explicitly make resolutions.
Goal-setting is something I have been taught from a young age. My parents always set family goals and as my siblings and I grew older they would encourage us to make our own personal goals. I also participated in the Personal Progress programme designed for 12-18 year old girls within the LDS church. This involved a lot of goal-setting and committing oneself to be better.
In my late teens I began to take my new year resolutions very seriously. I'd spend time in both December and January figuring out what I wanted to do in the next year and how I wanted to be a better person. I'd write my goals down and I'd commit myself to trying my absolute hardest to achieve them by the end of the year. There were many I did achieve and many I did not. But I know I'd have been a lot worse off if I hadn't written my goals down and shared them with those around me.
Fast forward to present day and now I have a system that seems to work really well. But before I list the process I'm going to try and answer an often asked question: why is it so important to set goals? Well let me ask another question - how do you get anywhere without clearly expressing where you want to end up? Setting goals helps us focus and stay motivated. Research has shown that when it comes to business, improvement in performance is directly linked to goal setting.
Here are the steps I take when deciding on my New Year Resolutions:
1. Finding the perfect diary.
There is something really nice about a newly purchased notepad. I just love it when I get a brand new journal or notebook. The pages are blank, untouched and smooth. It's so refreshing in a therapeutic sort of way. What better way to make new year resolutions than with a new book to write them in?
I am an organised person. I like to have an organised diary where I can take note of all of our family's plans, tasks and activities for each new day. The benefit from keeping a strict diary is that it becomes an event journal. I can look back at the year and clearly see all the wonderful things I did. Often I will find and remember experiences that I had forgotten about. Reading my old diaries helps to envoke past memories.
I tend to use the back of the diary to take note of my new year resolutions. That way I have them with me practically all of the time. Anytime I open my diary to make note of something I have a flick through my resolutions and think about how well or not so well I am doing.
* Details of my 2016 diary and it's review can be found in a separate blog post: Family Life Book 2016 Review.
Picking a diary that you like is key. That way because it looks good or is organised well you will want to use it more. Last year I used a diary with one of my favourite childhood characters on the cover - Peter Rabbit. The year before, it was a blue floral pattern. This year I was very precise about what I wanted and I requested my husband get me it for Christmas.
WHSmith have their own range of Laura Ashley stationary - Laura Ashley Grace. The notebooks and journals come in a beautiful black and gold floral print. Unfortunately the diary is no longer available so Mark bought me a notebook in that style instead. This year I have chosen to use that book for my new year resolutions and have a separate diary.
*Laura Ashley Grace products can be found here: http://www.whsmith.co.uk/stationery?view=list&filters=FILTER_collection%3aGrace
2. Choosing my resolutions.
When deciding on goals for the new year I like to take a long think about what I want this year to be about. I always try to find an inspirational quote that I want to make the focus of my year. This year my theme is "We can't direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails." I am trying hard to focus on my attitude and make a difference in my life based on the way I choose to see things and the way I respond to others.
After deciding on my theme I categorise the areas in my life. This year I have three main categories: spiritual goals, personal goals and work goals. I look at what my resolutions were for the previous year and pick out the ones I didn't achieve or pay much attention to. I ask myself 'why didn't I make this improvement?' Sometimes I'll find that the goal wasn't as achievable as I thought. So I'll change it a little and add it to my new list of goals.
I then think about the year I've had - things that I've said or done that I didn't like or things I liked that I didn't say or do enough. I focus on what I feel needs improvement in my life and I often share these with my husband. Here are some of my goals for 2016:
Spiritual: - Organised weekly Family Home Evening.
- Visit the temple at least three times.
Personal: - Spend more one-on-one time with my husband.
- Learn a new recipe per week.
Work:
- Recruit at least three more people.
- Prepare monthly training tips for my team.
3. Create steps for achieving goals.
For each goal I like to make little spider charts. I write the goal in the centre and then circle it. I then draw long spider legs all the way around it and attach steps and actions I need to take in order to achieve that goal. Here is an example below:
4. Share resolutions with others.
I think an important part of setting goals is making sure you express them. Writing them down is one way of doing it but telling someone close to you about your goals helps to make them official. I often feel like I work harder on goals when I know others are aware of my ideas and have that expectation.
So there you have it - the process by which I choose my yearly resolutions. Throughout the year I always like to keep a short journal of ways I am achieving goals. This is a good way to force me to really think about my progress. Often I find that I am making those improvements without even realising it!
Watch out for my next blog post all about my amazing diary for 2016!
“First, think about your life and set your priorities. Find some quiet time regularly to think deeply about where you are going and what you will need to do to get there. Second, set short-term goals that you can reach. Set goals that are well balanced—not too many nor too few, and not too high nor too low. Write down your attainable goals and work on them according to their importance. Pray for divine guidance in your goal setting”- Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
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