For pity’s sake. Stop. Making. New Year’s. Resolutions. It’s not getting you anywhere. It’s just bringing unhappiness to your life. So stop it. Set goals, not resolutions.
Wait, what’s the difference between a goal and a resolution?
Well, a goal has a result in mind – be it a routine or a finished project. If you’re one for making SMART goals (which you should be – I’ll tell you why over on this post), you’ll know that the M stands for “measurable”, and part of being measurable is knowing when it’s accomplished.
On the other hand, a resolution is a mindset. An intention. Wishful thinking. “I’m going to be healthier this year.” “I’m going to think positively.”
In defense of New Years’ Resolutions, most people are actually setting goals (go to the gym every day this year!), but because they don’t sit down and think through the goal – including defining what success looks like – they’re just setting themselves up for failure.
And I’m not here for failure.
Ok, so goal = good, resolution = bad. But WHY?
Four simple reasons.
#1: Goals start now, resolutions do not.
This is specifically for you New Year’s Resolution lovers. Fun fact: January 1 is just a day. The annual calendar is a social construct that we could have just as easily centered around August 13. But we didn’t. So now people attach an inordinate amount of significance to a day in the dead of winter.
And you know what? January is one of the worst times to try and start anything. Our energies tend to be lower due to the lack of sunshine (assuming you’re living in the Northern Hemisphere), and let’s be real, there’s a reason bears hibernate until spring.
On the other hand, goals can start on any day of any month in the year. In fact, they can start in the magical time called RIGHT NOW.
And in this magical time of RIGHT NOW, you have a goal in mind and you’re EXCITED about it. Your brain is hopped up on dopamine and you’re motivated to take the next step.
If you’re waiting for a random day in the future, the dopamine will have worn off, and you can no longer rely on it to move you forward.
There are some obvious exceptions – if you have a goal for job improvement, it’s hard to get started on a Saturday. But for the most part, if you have an idea for a goal, don’t wait for the New Year. Start RIGHT NOW.
#2: Goals have clearly defined success
As I mentioned before, the defining difference between a goal and a resolution is that a goal has an end point. A final result. Something you’re working toward. If you’ve taken the time to define your goal properly, you’ve thought through what’s sitting at the end of your journey.
And the clearer that picture is, the easier it will be to keep you motivated to keep moving.
On the contrary, a resolution is less defined. It’s meant to move you toward a vague life improvement – exercise more, eat less junk food. But how will you know if you’ve succeeded in that aim? Is one more gym trip enough to count as more? Or do you need to go every day? This wishy-washy-ness keeps you in the dark about how you’re actually doing.
When you set a goals, not resolutions, you know where you’re headed and how far you’ve come. And that’s motivating.
Write your damn goals down. Seriously.
#3: Goals give you feedback.
If you have a clear guideline for what success is, it’s so much easier to encourage yourself. Every step you take in the direction of your goal is progress. Going back to the M in SMART goals – if your goal is truly measurable, then you can check in on your progress whenever you want!
In fact, if you’re going to measure your success anyway, you may as well do it on a piece of paper! Make yourself a tracker on graph paper and fill in a square every time you go to the gym. Make a donation-style tracker and make a little line every time you make a payment on your student loans.
You can’t create those kinds of trackers for a resolution. Over time, your resolve will waver. You’ll be too tired to go to the gym. You slip back into your negative thought patterns. And without a pick-me-up like a tracker, it’ll be hard to get going again.
Which brings me to my final point.
#4: If you set goals, not resolutions, you will never fail.
I’m not going to lie to you and say you can’t fail in any way. If you made a goal to run a specific half marathon in June, but injured yourself halfway through training and then walked half the race, I guess you could say you’ve failed.
But have you failed completely? I’d say no. Let’s look at all that you’ve gotten out of this experience:
- Trained for X number sessions
- Ran/walked a half marathon
- Increased your running stamina
- Found the upper limits of your physical capabilities (and hopefully learned how to prevent the injury in the future!)
Those are all really valuable results! But if you had just resolved to run more, would you have dug up that training plan for funsies? Showed up to a half marathon spontaneously?
Nope. Taking the time to sit down and clearly define your goals will allow you to accomplish so much more than you would with New Year’s Resolutions.
In summary, don’t make resolutions. They won’t get you anywhere. Take the time to make goals – reflect on what you want to happen, and after you’re done, reflect on how it went. Over time, you’ll accomplish so much more than you thought you might.
