New Year’s Resolutions: The First Lie of 2019

Happy New Year! I believe many of you will still instinctively write “2018” on papers and tests instead of “2019.” What is your goal for this new year? Let me rephrase that question: what are your New Year’s resolutions for 2019?

“I’m going to lose 10 kilograms this year and workout every day.”

“I’m going to stop gaming and read for 2 hours every day.”

“I am going to mater a new language in 6 months.”

The New Year always makes us feel hopeful, as if we can do anything. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, almost all of us fails to complete their New Year’s resolutions as we wait for the next year to come to set new New Year’s resolutions. How pathetic. (Respect to the people who actually accomplish their resolutions.)

The reason why we set these resolutions every year is because we want to become a better person and a better version of ourselves as time passes. As a matter of fact, I have never seen someone set “eat more McDonalds” or “do fewer exercises” as their New Year’s resolutions. Then why is it so hard to keep up with our New Year’s resolutions?

It’s simple. Do you think it is possible for a person who can only run 400 meters to run a marathon? No. The main problem of these resolutions is that they are always too extreme and idealistic. People want to achieve something too great that they forget the necessary self-discipline required in taking “baby steps.” Extending the marathon example, if someone wants to complete a marathon, that person should slowly increase their training intensity and adapt to running longer distances. Apparently, this logic also applies to our lives. If you are a person who loves junk foods and set eliminating junk foods from your diet as your resolution, it will not automatically work. Instead, that person should lessen the number of times they eat junk foods in a week or a month. Trying to completely cut out junk foods when you are obsessed with it may cause binge-eating after suppressing the urge for some time.

Also, it is important to set measurable and specific goals. Instead of “stop eating junk foods”, it is more effective to set your resolution as “only eat junk foods twice per week and make it once per week after 3 months.” Creating a measurable goal will not only boost your motivation but also allows you to stick to your original plan. It is always good to keep track of your goal and measure it as you go.

Unlike previous years, I am going to make my goal measurable, achievable and realistic to become a better Alex than last year. I hope my words of advice motivate you to keep your New Year’s resolutions until December. Please feel free to comment about how you keep your resolutions!