New Year's Resolutions

“We will open the book, its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” - Edith Lovejoy Pierce. 

It’s the time of the year when we feel enthusiastic and determined about changing our lives for the better. It’s that time of the year when we make resolutions to work on ourselves. While some of us are able to maintain enthusiasm and determination throughout the year, some of us fail to even get through the very first month. 

Why is it so hard for some of us to keep our New Year's resolutions?

One of the most prominent reasons for not being able to follow through with our New Year's resolutions is that the resolutions that we make are not SMART. Now what we mean by SMART resolutions is that the resolutions have to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. 

It is very easy to make a resolution to lose weight in the coming year but, is this a SMART resolution? No, definitely not. 

Losing weight is a vague idea. One needs to be specific about how one would put in efforts to lose weight. It also becomes necessary to associate a number with the goal of staying motivated. It is important to answer questions like how many pounds does one want to shed off. It is also important to make sure that the goals are achievable. Setting a goal to shed off 10 pounds in 10 days is simply stupid. An unachievable, unrealistic goal is as good as having no goals. Apart from all these, one needs to make sure that the goal is time-bound. This helps us to stop procrastinating and work on achieving our goals sooner.

Secondly, sometimes we fail to understand and accommodate a demanding future. While we are making resolutions, it is important to analyse the major events in the future that might affect our schedules and lifestyle. Nobody knows what the future has in store for us, however, as humans, we have the ability to identify, understand and analyse the current situations that might have an impact on our lives in the future. 

So, this time around, while making resolutions for the new year, be sure to consider what the future might bring with it, consider it as new year motivation and set SMART goals. 

How to pick the right resolution?

• Picking a resolution just because others are telling you to do it is a major turnoff, and it is most likely that you are not going to stay zealous about it for too long. 
• Pick a resolution based on what you want to do. Identify areas for self-improvement. It could be something as simple as brushing your teeth twice a day to deal with dental issues to something more strenuous, like indulging in HIIT regularly to stay fit. 

What matters the most is how important it is for you to achieve the goal, how passionate you are about working towards it and how much effort you are willing to put in to achieve it at the earliest. 

Here are a few new year resolution ideas that you can improvise on based on your personal interests.

Resolutions to stay fit and improve lifestyle

1. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day
2. Make your bed the first thing in the morning followed by a stretching routine
3. Spend 10 minutes of every day to clean your space
4. Have meals at fixed times
5. Take breaks from work and move around at regular intervals
6. Take time off social media at regular intervals
7. Take steps to get rid of at least one bad habit
8. Take time to appreciate your meals and savour each bite
9. Develop a workout routine that best suits you and stick to it
10. Develop a skincare routine and follow it
11. Practise intentional breathing 
12. Stop using electronic gadgets at least an hour before you go to bed
13. Lower your sugar intake gradually
14. Track your habits and build a productive routine
15. Try a new fitness regime

Resolutions to spend wisely and save for the future

1. Prepare monthly and weekly budgets before the month or week begin
2. Compare actual spending with the budget after every month/week and analyse deviations
3. Invest a part of your earnings at regular intervals
4. Review your subscriptions regularly and unsubscribe unutilized/underutilized subscriptions
5. Take interest in learning about at least one new investment opportunity every week

Resolutions for a healthy mind and mental wellbeing

1. Take time out of your day to meditate and plan/analyse your day
2. Express gratitude towards people around you as frequently as possible
3. Revisit old music albums/playlists
4. Speak to at least one old friend/relative every week
5. Take time to appreciate yourself and your minor accomplishments every day

Resolutions to build new hobbies/habits

1. Learn at least one new language
2. Spend at least five to seven hours every week to read
3. Take time out to pursue your hobbies
4. Visit at least one new place every fortnight
5. Jot down new ideas on a notepad every time one crosses your mind

These are just a few examples. As discussed earlier, YOUR new year resolution has to be something that YOU want to pursue. What to do when the enthusiasm to follow through with the new year resolution dies down? We have all been through that phase when there is hardly any motivation left to keep working on our new Year's resolutions.

Wondering what kind of resolutions people are making for 2022? Then you've come to the right place. Team Girls Buzz put up a Forum post for people to share their New Year's Resolutions. Here are some of the amazing responses!

Tarotpriestess: The new year resolution for 2022 would be to use up the unutilized face packs lying (expiring) around. So I will definitely use them either on my face or my feet(if it gets expired).

Nandini Singh: For me, New Year Resolution is doing better than the previous year. I do not believe in being super hard on myself, but I believe in making strategies that can help me to grow to be a better person. I wish everyone a happy new year... Hope this year will bring a lot of happiness and joy... 🙂

Pariksha: Hello ladies,
As we have just a few days left for this year to end, we are looking for the best of 2022. Let's welcome the next year with the hope of everything we dreamt of coming true. 
As we are taking about resolutions, I would like to add mine. 
1. I am going to protect my energy like we should all do. We must maintain our distance from bad vibes and stay arounded by positivity, motivation, and good energies all year long. And that's what I am gonna do. 
2. The next thing would be to stay true to myself and be honest about what is happening. This includes being a better person emotionally, physically, and mentally. 
3. Last but definitely not the least would be to be professionally better than what I was in 2021. 

I know it's hard to keep up to the resolutions every year but only if I would stay active from the very first day, things can be possible 😋

Hope you girls would have the best time in 2022. Happy new year and happy holidays. 😊

Maneesha Mathias: The year 21 was challenging, and I am grateful that I am alive. Some of the people who planned things for the new year, last year this time are no more today. I do not know if their plans materialized before they passed away!
I know I could have been one among them, a statistic. But I am not! That is why I am thankful and hope to spend 2022 with a grateful heart.

Natasha: 

I'm not the kind of person who usually makes New Year resolutions. However, this 2022, I want to invest my energy into random acts of kindness. I believe amid the pandemic, a lot of people have lost a many things. Therefore, this year, my goal is to do at least one nice thing a month for someone, without anything in return.Wishing each one in the Girls Buzz family a fantastic 2022.

What to do when you no longer have the urge to continue adhering to our resolutions? 

It’s simple. Think of the progress that you have made so far. Ask yourself if you want to lose out on the progress and restart from the scratch sometime in the future. If you still don’t feel motivated enough, think about the end results. Visualise how you would feel after achieving your goal. Make it a habit to visualise the feeling and how good it feels to finally get what you have always wanted. This will keep you motivated to keep working towards your goals.

In case you still don’t find it in yourself to continue with the resolution, identify the reasons for you to feel so. Try to eliminate the causes of demotivation. If you find it necessary to change the resolution to something simpler, do it. We often find it easy to complete simple tasks and do it immediately. Now, once the simpler task is done, move on to the next step. In simple words, break down your long term, difficult resolution into simpler ones and with time, you would have achieved what you wanted. 

Every new year is a new opportunity that time gifts us. Some people are wise enough to utilise it properly while some people give up after some time. Be the one who utilises this new year properly and becomes a better person. Better people make the world a better place to live in.

HAPPY NEW YEAR