Now that the holidays are over, it’s time to face that dreaded monster: The New Year’s Resolution.
It’s not a surprise that most people have negative feelings about resolutions. They remind us of all the things we don’t like about ourselves on one expectation-packed day of the year.
We put ourselves under a lot of pressure to change around the turn of the new year, so it’s no wonder most people don’t stick to their resolutions. By February, we’re back to our old selves and feeling like failures.
But the New Year can actually be a great time to reflect on the past year and make plans to thrive in the coming one. We can take the stress and pressure out of the big bad resolution and actually make a plan we’ll stick to.
1) Don’t try to change
Most people create resolutions around becoming a different person or changing some part of themselves. It’s unrealistic that will happen. Instead focus on adding something to your life that will bring you joy, peace, happiness, or some other benefit. For instance, instead of resolving to lose weight, make a commitment to add healthy home-cooked meals to your routine or take up hiking. Losing weight may be a natural side effect of adding something fun to your life.
2) Don’t try to do too much
Don’t fall into the trap of deciding to become a perfect human in the New Year. Another common mistake people make around resolutions is piling on too many things to do, accomplish, or be. Want to learn a new instrument? Run a marathon? Climb a mountain? Travel to every continent? Great. Just space it out a bit, so you’ll actually be able to enjoy new things. Pick one major thing to do in the New Year and work towards it.
3) Don’t do it for anyone but you
We all have people in our lives we want to please. Spouses, children, bosses, parents are all important and expect different things from us. It isn’t possible to live a life where we only do what we want to do, but as you think of New Year’s Resolutions, start with what it’s your heart and mind - not someone else’s. Do you really want to start running at 5:00 AM? Is learning salsa dancing your passion or someone else’s? Have you always dreamed of writing a book of poetry or was that your mom’s suggestion? You get the idea. Whatever vision you have for your life in the upcoming year, just make sure it’s your own.
4) Don’t be overly vague
Resolutions like “I want to be a better person” or “I want to be healthy” don’t have measurable results, so we never really know if we’ve achieved it. It’s better to make resolutions as specific as possible, such as “I want to spend one screen-free night with family a week” or “I want to eat home-cooked meals three times a week” so that you can check that off your list and feel a sense of accomplishment.
5) Don’t focus on the negative
As you track progress toward goals, focus on the things you stuck to and did well instead of moments of weakness and failure. If you miss a week of family time, that’s ok. Just recommit to the following week. If you ate fast food one too many times in one month, move on and make your meal plan for the next month. The goal with resolutions isn’t to be perfect, it’s about progression toward a better life. Expect to take missteps and keep looking forward.
Guardline is committed to helping you live a better, fuller life by giving you peace of mind about your property. We resolve to continue providing a superior outdoor motion sensor and dedicated American-based customer service to be there for you at every step of the buying process.
Check out our complete line of premier alert systems, and reach out to us at any time if you have questions. Here’s to an exciting, prosperous New Year.
Until next time, be safe…
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