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I’ve always believed that we shouldn’t wait for New Year to set resolutions. We thrive and grow by having goals and this is more appropriate than ever for 2021.
I imagine many of us woke up on New Year’s Day with a sense of relief that 2020 is over. However, the truth is that the pandemic is still with us and, while 2021 may be the year we finally beat it, there are no guarantees as to exactly what or when.
Tips on setting resolutions
Setting resolutions is therefore trickier than usual. Here are some tips to give yourself the highest chance of success:
1. Keep resolutions small and simple. By delinking new year and resolutions, you can always set another one to follow the first. Smaller goals are easier to achieve and give you greater control.
2. Shorten your horizon. As well as small, think short term. The quicker you achieve something, the better your outlook. You will feel positive and motivated to try for more.
3. Create milestones to break down bigger goals. Our brains like instant reward because it builds determination. Using milestones as smaller goals which build to a bigger one is more realistic, and you have a greater chance of success.
Writing these tips has reminded me of a model called the 5 D’s of Success. It is a useful way to formulate resolutions as it requires you to dig deeper and link your actions to outcomes.
The 5 D’s of Success
Decision
This D is your ‘why’. Why this resolution? Why now? It asks you to think about what you’re really choosing. Let’s use the example of losing weight – a common topic for New Year’s resolutions. You might set yourself this resolution, but the underlying reason is to feel better and healthier. Simply by working through smaller actions (such as eating healthier, tastier food), you will feel better, but you might miss this if you only focus on what the scales say.
Desire
This D drills down into what really needs to change. Where will you focus your energy? Often, in trying to achieve resolutions, we go all out – setting an unrealistic bar by just having cabbage soup for a month, for example. This isn’t really what we want to do; it’s not in alignment with what we desire and therefore it isn’t sustainable. By getting in touch with your true desire, you can uncover better actions which contribute to the achievement of your goal.
Discipline
This is a big one when it comes to resolutions. It will help you to achieve a goal if you set realistic stages which help you stay disciplined. When we set a resolution, we want to change bad habits. Habits take time to form and to remove so we should start small, with everyday actions that build and create momentum. With weight loss, that might mean drinking more water. It won’t achieve our goal alone, but we will feel healthier, achieve a short-term reward and be motivated to stick to our overall goal.
Determination
Similar to the previous D, determination focuses on how you will feel in a few weeks’ time. It’s likely that we will all suffer a ‘blip’ at some point, but we must accept this is normal and not let it derail us. Determination is about bouncing back, sticking to the belief that you are working towards the right thing and continuing, despite challenges.
Development
Finally, we need to make our resolution part of our ongoing lifestyle. Accountability is a big part of this and you may find that simply announcing your goal to family or on social media is enough to make you stick to it. Think about who can support you in fixing new habits. Accountability doesn’t have to be public; you might team up with a partner. Development is also about feeling comfortable with tweaking your goal to get the perfect outcome. Circumstances change and it’s ok to change our goals accordingly.
I hope these tips help you set realistic resolutions. Most importantly, go easy on yourself. We’ve had a tough year and things aren’t going to right themselves immediately. You will still find barriers that are unexpected or disruptive. But, if you truly believe you deserve success, you will achieve what you set out to.
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