There is a difference between making a New Year’s resolution and setting goals. This is what I mean.
A resolution is defined as a firm decision to do or to not do something. Whereas goal setting is the process of deciding what you want to do and creating a plan to achieve what you want. Here are some examples of common New Year’s resolutions and ways to help you set goals.
Most people make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. That’s great as gaining weight generally negatively effects many parts of our lives. If a person sets a goal then they would state how much weight they wanted to lose by a certain time and how they were going to do it. Are they going to cut out the junk food? Exercise? If so how often, what kind of exercise can they do and are they going to do it alone or with a friend to keep them in accountable? Just a head’s up muscle weighs more than fat, so if you are starting to look and feel better but you weigh the same or more, visit your family doctor for some reassurance that you are on the right track. ;D
Another popular New Year’s resolution is paying off, or getting out of debt. Owing money isn’t fun. It can effect your sleep, your credit score and your ability to borrow money at a low interest rate if you can borrow money at all. If a person sets a goal to get out of debt they should have what people call a debt date. That is the day or month you want to be debt-free. Having a debt date is only the beginning. You will also need to know how much you can pay towards your debt every month. What are you going to go without? Are you going to make your own coffee and start to eat at home? Will you stop shopping at stores or online when you could be shopping your closet? Would you consider walking or biking to work? Both are great forms of exercise. If you can’t walk or bike would you take public transit, or sell an extra car, or well anything to put towards the money you owe?
Making New Year’s resolutions is easy, keeping them can be a bit harder. Setting goals help to keep you on track. And if you keep at it, you will gain traction and that generally keeps you moving in the right direction.
One thing I would like to add is that you probably didn’t gain weight or get into debt overnight. It was a process that took weeks, months or years. I am telling you this because it may take you weeks, months or years to get to accomplish your one or more goals.
Happy New Year Everyone. And thank you for reading A. Rebel’s Rant! ;D
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