Revamp Your New Year Strategy With These Creative Alternatives
One thing I have always struggled with when it came to the beginning of a new year is the the New Year Resolution List. Do not misunderstand me! There is nothing wrong with making New Year resolutions. It is just that personally, they have never quite worked for me. So, having to make them over and over when it clearly not my thing, always made the new year overwhelming and frustrating for me.
And to make it worse, I did not know how to stop or what course of action to take in its stead. Because in a world as ours with cliches such as, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”, entering the new year with no sort of planning or resolutions for the year, never sits well with me.
However, it was not until a few years ago that I realized that making a New Year’s Resolution list is not the only way to enter a new year with purpose and intentionality.
It was just a matter of, if this is not working for me, I look for an alternative that would still involve planning and intentionality but will also make me accountable and offer a productive environment to pursue my year’s plans with fervor and optimism.
Hence, today’s posts covers four creative alternatives to New Year resolutions if you are eager to enter the new year with great plans and foster lasting changes but New Year resolutions do not work for you:
- Set gentle intentions: Research shows that the best way to create a habit is to start small. Most times, with all the new year’s joy and excitement, it is common for people to feel the need to set goals or make as many plans as possible. While this is a great mindset to have, the follow-through rate is always low. Therefore, rather than having the grandest or the most complex thoughts for the year, it is safer and easier to start with gentle or simpler thoughts. This way, there is room for proper accountability and your goals or thoughts do not feel overwhelming after a period of time.
- Create a vision board: A vision board is a collection of words, ideas, or pictures that represents a person’s wish or goals. Creating a vision board is a straightforward yet powerful way to define your goals for the new year while breaking them down into achievable bits. With it, you remove the burden of new year resolution, entering the new year energized and prepared for a fresh start.
- Read more books: As simple as this technique sounds, reading more books is a great alternative to making new year resolutions for the year.
Here, you skip making the typical promises to hit the gym, lose weight, or save money and increase your knowledge base in diverse areas. Whether it is agriculture, finance, or self improvement, delving into a subject you know little about, stimulates personal growth and provides a sense of accomplishment.
- Just continue on: If you are already on a right path as it relates to your plans or goals, rather than distracting yourself with the idea of a New Year’s resolution, just continue on. Bear in mind that you do necessarily need to make plans yearly to achieve success. If a particular plan or goal is panning our right, continue on with it and your new year is already covered.
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