The end of 2019 has arrived and now is the time that we begin to reflect on our goals and achievements, and how we can do better next year.
With the recent increased focus on mindfulness, and studies that reveal low success rates with resolutions (VeryWellMind stated that according to a recent study, only around 9 percent of people who make New Year’s Resolutions felt that they were successful in achieving their goals), we wanted to share with you some alternatives to making New Year’s Resolutions that focus on lofty goals that might fade after a few months or weeks.
Here are 5 things we’ll be focusing on to make it a great year,, instead of making New Year’s resolutions for 2020.
1. Make goals that are specific and measurable.
Many of us look to New Year’s as a way to improve ourselves, but these statements can be vast and feel really hard to achieve. Instead, what if we created goals such as “set 20 minutes aside each week to paint at home” or “bake one new recipe a month?” The proof will be in the pudding, and if you miss a week or month, you can get right back on track for the next one.
2. Break a big goal into mini goals.
Having a big New Year’s Resolution may be exciting at first, but it can quickly become daunting or just plain unachievable. That said, it’s good to have big goals and dream big. A nice compromise could be to have a major goal, like ace your end of the year final exam, and to break it into smaller goals like creating a new flash card system and using it three times to study. This way you are contributing to your bigger goal, but you’re making progress that you can see in the shorter term.
3. Prioritize your goals.
It’s tempting to take out a notepad and begin jotting down all of the things you want to achieve in the next year. But if we pause and really think about what’s most important to us, we’ll realize that if can focus on a few specific goals, we’ll be more equipped to hold ourselves accountable.
So after you’ve written down all of things you want to achieve, re-read what you’ve written and decide: what are the 1-2 things I want to prioritize for next year, and focus on those!
4. Incorporating self care.
Who says that all goals have to be difficult, time consuming and require discipline and new habit creation? Incorporating self care into your daily life is a great way to add more calm and mindfulness into your routine. Starting now, we’ll be thinking of more ways to do self care routinely, through either an at-home manicure kit, card games like solitaire, meditation apps, and cooking, The great thing about self care time is you see the benefits almost instantly, and they continue to develop the more you do self care!
5. Nothing! Just be.
If none of these sound appealing to you, that is OK. You don’t need to make goals or resolutions for the next year. Maybe you just want to reflect on this year, or maybe right now you just need some time to relax! Accepting where you are now and how you feel is important, and helps you reenergize for the year ahead. So know that this is always an option.
We wish you and your loved ones a very happy New Year; we look forward to seeing you around at one of our art classes or workshops in the Kids at Art studio in 2020