New Year Reso-Oh please!

   

       I know some time has passed but we’re still in January so I figured it’s not too late to talk about New Year Resolutions. I randomly stumbled on a book I used to write in around 2014/2015 and as I was flipping through, I came across the New Year Resolutions I made for 2015. I know a lot of people make a mockery of New Year Resolutions, they find making them a waste of time because a lot of them feel it’s impossible for a person to actually make positive changes in their lives through them.
     

       There were 13 things on that list I made at the end of 2014. I noticed that out of 13, I achieved 9 of them i.e 69% in 2015, 8 of which I achieved wholly and 2 half way. Between 2016 and now, I achieved one and half more. The deadline for the 11th goal passed in 2015 because I was too chicken to go for it, leaving me with one and half unaccomplished as at now.
 

       This little analysis of mine showed me three things. It showed me first of all that, you can actually accomplish your New Year Resolutions if you’re willing to put in the effort. Making them is not a waste of time. It also showed me that some goals we make in this life will not come to fruition in the time frame that you want them to. They might take a little longer than expected but that doesn’t mean that you should give up on them. Lastly, it showed me that if you’re not brave enough to go after what you want, you’ll most likely only end up with regret. There’ll always be this nagging feeling that’ll have you wondering how differently things would have been if you had gone for it and succeeded. And even if you don’t succeed, it might hurt at first but your mind will be put to rest.
 

       There are numerous reasons why you might have difficulty accomplishing your New Year Resolutions. It could be because of your attitude towards them. If you want to achieve anything in this life, you have to first of all believe you can do it and keep a positive mindset as you work on it. It could just be because of a number of factors beyond your control, that’s life for you. Also, it could be that you have the right attitude but you use the wrong methods. Having said that, I want to give some quick suggestions of how you can actually see your New Year Resolutions through.

1. WRITE THEM DOWN
      This is so simple yet so easy to overlook. I noticed there’s something special about taking out a pen and paper to write things down. I find that I usually accomplish things more when I write them down paper. I still can’t put a finger on why but I noticed that a lot of organized and successful people journal a lot.
   
       I got this tip from a TEDx talk I watched a while ago: For each goal, write out at least 3 practical things you can do to achieve them. It helps make the process clearer, makes you set more realistic resolutions and gives you more courage to go after them.
   
       Writing things down gives you something to fall back on, makes the resolutions feel somewhat tangible. It helps keep you in check because reading it will constantly remind you of them and keep you motivated. It also helps you keep track of your life over a particular period of time. You will have something to review years later (like I have now) and you will notice certain trends you follow, good or bad. This will help you make proper adjustments with time.

2. Take your resolutions one step at a time
      If you embark on too many things at once, you’re bound to feel overwhelmed and tire out easily. Also, set out to achieve your resolutions at a realistic pace.

      If for example, you earn 17,000 monthly and you discover you only manage to save about N500 a month but you want to do better, you have to be realistic in your target. It’s not very wise to immediately aim to save let’s say N7,000 from that because chances are you’ll have great difficulty adjusting, hence give up easily. Rather, you can start with N1, 000, when you become accustomed to that, move to N2,500 and follow that process till you achieve your aim.
    “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”

3. Set specific times to review your progress
       It could be weekly, monthly, quarterly but from time to time, go through your list of resolutions to find out how much progress you’ve made. It can also help you detect the ones you may be slacking in and help realize if you need to place your focus elsewhere. Writing them down makes these reviews easier.

4. If you have difficulty focusing on things, it could help if you have someone close to you that can hold you accountable. If could be a partner, friend, sibling, mentor, etc. They can check up on your progress from time to time to make sure you’re still on track, help you in case of difficulty, motivate and encourage you if you need it.
           

      Side Note: I think most people have heard of this but in case you haven’t, when it comes to goal setting generally, there is something called setting SMART goals which means your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound. If you want to learn more of that, you can google it.
       

      So having said that, I’ve decided to share a few of my New Year Resolutions with you (some are “carryover” resolutions from 2015):

1. Arrange my room more often.
      If you know me well, you’ll know this is probably going to be the hardest thing ever for me because I’m so scattered. It’s almost as if being in a very arranged environment makes my body itch (lool). I only ever manage to make little progress in this aspect but this year I want to make a significant one, so help me God.

2. SAVE MORE MONEY.
     My saving habit last year was so poor but this year shall be different by God’s grace. I was considering trying out that Piggy Bank thing people are always raving about. I’m skeptical about things like that though so I’ll put little money there just to test the waters, that’s if I decide to go with it at all.

3. Watch at least two Ted talks per week.
      Ted talks are quite educative, inspirational, motivational and just generally entertaining. I know a lot of people consider motivational talk bullshit but it really helps me. I actually used to watch Ted talks frequently but I back-tracked for a while. I have this book where I keep jottings from the things I learned from most of the talks I’ve watched and when I was flipping through, I discovered I’ve actually learned a lot. It’s a habit I’m going to try to revive.
                                 
   It doesn’t have to be just Ted talks though, inspirational videos in general.      Everything is on Youtube. Maybe one day I'll do a po sa t on some of my favourite YouTube videos that have helped shape me into the person I am.


          Don’t let anybody discourage you from wanting to be better. I know a lot of people say you don’t have to wait for a new year to change which in all honesty makes sense, but there’s nothing wrong with setting a yearly timeline for yourself. Bear in mind that a lot of these people are only projecting their shortcomings on you. They feel that because they can’t keep up with their resolutions, every other person must be like them. Many of them don’t even make significant changes in their lives anytime within the year yet, they’re so quick to discourage you for trying to be better at the start of a new year. Don’t feed on negativity, ignore the noise and strive hard to become better. Even if you slip, forgive yourself, pick yourself back up and forge ahead.

PS:This post was inspired by my girl Steph's YouTube video in which she talked about the habits she wants to break this year. Check out her channel and kindly like and subscribe. Her name's Stephanie Okoroafor. Link below
  https://youtu.be/qY3LXn2fG-E