Instead of Making Resolutions, Set Creative Intentions |
'Tis the season.
Many of us have celebrated the holidays in various ways as befits our family, friends, and traditions. But the one nearly universal occasion celebrated this time of year is upon us: New Year’s Eve.
New beginnings.
A formal threshold. An annual opportunity for change and growth.
Over the years, I have noticed more people eschewing the tradition of New Year’s resolutions. This makes sense to me.
Every January, we tell ourselves some version of the same story: This is the year I finally get it together. We resolve to eat better, work harder, stress less, be more disciplined, more focused, more everything. For a brief moment, it can feel hopeful. Like a fresh start.
And then life happens.
By February, many resolutions have already fallen apart. The gym visits taper off. The strict routines become unsustainable. What’s left behind is often not motivation, but guilt. We assume we failed because we didn’t try hard enough.
Who wants this feeling year after year?
However, by turning our backs on this tradition, are we missing an important opportunity for a different approach?
Regarding traditional resolutions, research suggests something else may be going on. The problem may not be us. It may be the way we’re trying to change.
Traditional New Year’s resolutions tend to be rigid and outcome-focused. They rely heavily on willpower and assume our future selves will somehow have more energy, time, and self-control than our present ones. Decades of research on