It’s already January 4th and I still do not have resolutions. Why? Well, while I am an advocate for goal setting, I am not an advocate for New Year’s Resolutions. Yep, I said it, mamas. I do not believe people should be making resolutions. The word resolution means to have a firm decision to do or not do something. While people may have a firm decision to do or not do something, they are thrown out there so haphazardly. There isn’t any kind of organization to their resolution. They just see something they need to work on and throw it out there. Often times, these resolutions are unrealistic, but most importantly, there isn’t a plan.
Goal Setting
Again, I am all for goal setting. I love setting goals and accomplishing them. Whether it is a To Do list for the weekend which is goal setting. I tell myself I want to get a certain number of tasks completed by a certain day. That is a goal. It could also be a long term goal of paying off a loan. Which, I have a current goal for 2024 to completely pay off my student loans once a for all. This has required lots of commitment and planning. It wasn’t something I could resolve in a few weeks or even 1 year. I started this goal a few years ago.
Wildly Important Goals
In my job, I have goals every week that I make called Wildly Important Goals. If you are ever interested in learning about this, there is a book called The 4 Disciplines of Execution. This book goes into details about Wildly Important Goals. This is a great resource for jobs where employees need to focus on a few tasks for a short time (1 week) and those goals help narrow down important tasks when we get whirlwinds throughout the week. They must be measurable goals as well. For instance, in my job, my teachers must set a goal that they can measure such as “Student A will complete 5 overdue lessons by next week since he has 20 overdue lessons.” The 5 overdue lessons can be measured. Did Student A complete 4 or 5 or even more overdue lessons?
This way of thinking helps you break down a big task, into smaller goals. The end result is ultimately that big goal. Whether it is weight, paying of a loan, saving money, etc., your weekly goals are what will help you get to that prize winning goal. The prize obviously would be attaining the goal.
Reasons NOT to Make Resolutions
Most People Don’t Keep Resolutions
I know this is a generalization, but statistics say that 9% have given up on their resolution by the end of the year. 23% quit the first week according to driveresearch.com. The statistics prove people just do not keep with their resolutions.
I can’t tell you how many NEW gym goers I would see in the first week of the January and then each week, they would slowly stop showing up. By February, the gym was always back to normal. While I always welcomed and loved seeing more people trying to make healthy changes in their life, I knew the reality of it all. I knew they wouldn’t be there for long. I also know a lot of people say they are going to change their eating habits (especially after the holidays where we tend to overeat delicious foods we normally don’t get to eat) then within a few weeks or day, they are back to their old habits.
These types of lifestyle changes need planning. They aren’t something you simply just start doing blindly. How are you going to make changes? What resources do you need to make this happen? How long are you realistically going to need to accomplish that goal? What steps will you take, big or small to get to where you want to go?
Unhealthy Mindset
Not preparing for the resolutions and just setting these up without proper planning can lead to failure. And I know failure is when we learn best, however, this is more of a “I failed” type of situation. Without a proper plan, we are setting ourselves up for failure. Once we failed at keeping the resolution, we may feel horrible about ourselves. What good is that going to do when we may need to really make changes in our lives especially if they are health related ones or ones where we need to get out of debt?
It Shouldn’t Take a New Year to Make Goals
Why do people wait until the New Year to make these “resolutions”? You can lose weight any time of the year. You can get out of debt any time of the year. We do not need a new year to start any of those goals. While I do understand the change my diet after the new year because it is hard to not be tempted during the holiday season. That is probably the worst time to begin a new way of eating.
Make a Plan for Goals
Like I said, I am all about goals. I am also about making goals each year. Those goals may be different each year and they could stay they same, but you may change the outcome of that goal. For instance, last year, my goal was to pay off $8,000 of my student loans. This was not to get my student loans to $0, this was to just pay off that much of the student loan. I put a plan in place to use any bonuses I received or to add more to my monthly payment to reach that goal. This year, my plan is to completely pay off my loans. Again, the plan is to use any bonuses I receive or add to my monthly to reach this goal.
My Own Goals
My other goal is to pay off any credit cards I have. Which, to be honest, I have very little. According to lendingtree.com, “Overall, the national average card debt among cardholders with unpaid balances in the third quarter of 2023 was $6,993.” I can say my credit card debt is less than 10% of that average. However, it still feels good to pay off that couple hundred. I do use the Dave Ramsey way of paying off the least amount first and then use that monthly payment once it is paid off to pay off the smallest credit card balance.
Of course, I also have a goal to get to specific weight by April. After having 4 children, youngest is 15 months, I am finally ready to get back to a weight where I was totally comfortable with and enjoyed. I have already told myself that once I hit my half way mark, I will reward myself with a massage. Once I hit my goal, I will reward myself with another massage and a pedicure. These are rare rewards right now due to the craziness of my life. I am looking forward to my goal weight AND those fun rewards.
So how should one go about setting up goals for 2024?
- Establish your goal.
- Find your why. Why do you want to accomplish this goal?
- Work backwards.
- Have an end date that is attainable.
- From there, make small goals within the large goals (wildly important goals) whether you do it every week or every other week. Those are small accomplishments to help you reach your goal.
- Celebrate your wins whether big or small.
If you must keep a calendar and mark it up, then do it. If you need to tell someone who will hold you accountable, do it. Whatever you need to do to make sure your goal is attained, then you need to do it. Just don’t go into the year without a plan. I am curious what your goals are for 2024 and do you have a plan in place to make sure you are going to accomplish those goals?