The new year marks the start of a new chapter and, with it, the tradition of setting resolutions. For many of us, resolutions such as exercising more, getting rid of bad habits, journaling, or learning to meditate become important goals for the year ahead. But most New Year’s resolutions don’t seem to be as effective as we would like to believe. On average, we stick to our New Year’s resolutions for around four and a half months. For more than one in five of us, these resolutions last less than 30 days, and only 6% of us manage to stick to them for the whole year.
To ensure we set ourselves the best possible plans 2024, instead of a taking a conventional approach to goal setting, let’s explore a transformative perspective on how to make lasting change in our lives.
The traditional method of crafting New Year’s resolutions usually involves pinpointing aspects of ourselves that we perceive as shortcomings and then finding ways to ‘fix’ them. Often these resolutions seem daunting, almost insurmountable, which perhaps explains why we often hear little about them after January, and more often than not we resolve to do things because we think that we should rather than considering how the resolutions can contribute to our bigger plans for personal growth.
Instead, let’s consider a subtle paradigm shift: what if we saw them not as distant goals that can make us better in the future, but as invigorating challenges that are part of a longer journey of growth and change? By changing our mindset, we move from merely striving to achieve resolutions to striving for personal growth. Challenges act as a catalyst for adaptability, equipping us with the resilience needed to overcome unforeseen obstacles. They facilitate continuous personal growth by emphasising a journey of constant development rather than fixating on a predetermined end point. This subtle but crucial shift can cultivate a mindset of greater resilience and adaptability, fostering a more positive and constructive approach to self-improvement.
Embracing challenges over resolutions is a powerful catalyst for the development of grit, self-confidence, and discipline. Grit is resilience in the face of adversity, and we cultivate it when we view challenges not as hurdles to be overcome, but as opportunities for growth. The consistent effort required to face these challenges fosters a tenacity that is the foundation of grit. By navigating the varied terrain of our chosen challenges, we learn to trust our ability to adapt and persevere in the face of uncertainty.
In overcoming any challenge, be it small or large, we gather evidence of our abilities and strengths. If we regularly don’t meet the targets that we set for ourselves we quickly come to believe that we don’t have the ability to achieve. However if we make continual progress toward conquering a challenge we build the self-confidence muscles needed to keep us going. This tangible evidence forms the basis for true confidence. Challenges can push us beyond our comfort zone and enable us to tackle future challenges with greater certainty.
Discipline is honed by the constant commitment required to overcome challenges. It is about dedicating ourselves daily to our chosen challenges to create a sense of structure and routine and the discipline we develop in this process can be transferred to different aspects of our lives. It enables us to persevere through the inevitable ups and downs and leads us to sustained success in our personal and professional endeavours.
Fear of failure often leads us to unconsciously undermine our own longer term plans. We may give up sooner than necessary and succumb to the belief, whether consciously or unconsciously, that success is unattainable. This defeatist attitude calls into question the intrinsic value of trying. For example, if we have set ourselves the challenge to wake up at 5am in 2024 and realise that we’ve hit snooze and it’s now 5.02, we might tell ourselves that we have already missed the target and consider it a failure. In such cases, it’s important to change our perspective: a resolution is something that is achieved or not; a challenge is something that we are continually working on within our selves.
Another major hurdle that often arises is the lack of motivation. It’s easy to get carried away by the enthusiasm with which you make ambitious New Year’s resolutions, such as meditating for two hours a day or running a 5k during our lunch break. As we tackle our 2024 challenges, it’s imperative that we look at the why behind each commitment. By asking ourselves questions like, ‘how will I change after completing this challenge?’ and, more importantly, ‘why is this change meaningful to me?’ we can anchor our motivation in personal relevance.
Unrealistic expectations are a common challenge, often due to underestimating what we can achieve in a year while overestimating our daily capacity. Rather than setting an unrealistic goal, such as running a 5k every day during our lunch break if we are new to running, we should change our approach. Instead, we can aim to run 5k by the end of 2024 and break this goal down into manageable daily or weekly habits and systems. This way, what seemed unattainable on 2 January 2024 becomes an extremely realistic expectation for 31 January 2024.
Perfectionism is another significant obstacle to achieving our goals, a challenge that many of us will face in 2024. Many people who set goals struggle with perfectionism, as these two factors are often intertwined and create a sense of winning or losing. In contrast, challenges provide a path for continuous growth and development. Much like Frodo’s journey to Mordor, there are inevitably ups and downs, victories and setbacks along the way. Our path to overcoming challenges is anything but a flat, linear path; it has its own ups and downs. It doesn’t have to be flawless— it’s enough to keep the challenge in sight.
As we stand on the threshold of a new year, let’s revolutionise our approach to the usual resolutions. Instead of fixating on rigid goals, we should set ourselves challenges. This shift in perspective encourages a mindset characterised by continuous growth, resilience, and adaptability.
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