Now that 2022 has come to an end and we’ve entered into a new year, what are your plans? How are you going to start off fresh this January? Maybe you have goals for your career. Maybe you’ve decided to focus more on traveling or indulging in a hobby you’ve been neglecting. When you picture yourself in 2023, what exactly do you see? It can be hard for us to know for sure what we will be doing a few days from now, let alone in the next 12 months. Still, there are ways in which we can envision ourselves in order to embrace the present and be mindful of the future.
Re-envisioning Instead of Reinventing
For many, January is the time to set resolutions to help keep them on track for reaching certain goals. For others, this tradition is overwhelming and difficult to keep up with. Resolutions can be a great motivational tool, so maybe we just need to think of them in a different way. Rather than seeing them as strict ways to fix our flaws, we should use them to encourage and build on our strengths. A nice piece of advice comes from this The Happiness In Health article: “Instead of reinventing yourself, try five ways to re-envision yourself in the new year. You’ll be surprised at what you can accomplish when you look at yourself from a new perspective.” It’s not that we need to make abrupt changes in all areas of our lives; we may just need to rethink the things that aren’t working for us.
Perfection is Not the Goal
As you think of what you would like to accomplish this year, make sure you’re being realistic. In a perfect world, we would set goals and accomplish them quickly and with little to no issues or setbacks. In this world, that’s not always likely. Being realistic with your goals also does not mean being doubtful or pessimistic. Take time to sit with yourself and think about what you have the capacity to take on. You should also consider outside factors that may play a role in how you’ll be accomplishing these objectives. Your journey will never look like someone else’s journey, even if your goals are similar. Therefore, the way in which you accomplish them will be unique to you. It’s not about how well or how poorly you do in the process, as long as you’re happy with the outcome.
Creating Mindful Resolutions
A common reason that resolutions fail is because they’re set without any plans for action. It’s easy to say, “I’m going to be more active” or “I’m going to spend more time with friends”, but you have to make changes in your life to accommodate those goals. Otherwise, your resolutions will remain unmet. If your resolutions are long-term, it may be a good idea to have benchmarks in place to assess your progress until they’re accomplished. ThinkRight has an article that provides a few more ways you can set clear and intentional resolutions. If you ever need help setting or accomplishing personal goals, I’d be happy to help. Feel free to contact me! I offer in-person appointments as well as HIPAA-compliant virtual options. You can also follow my page on Facebook.
Sources:
https://thehappinessinhealth.com/five-ways-to-re-envision-yourself-in-the-new-year
https://www.thinkrightme.com/how-you-can-make-mindful-new-years-resolutions
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