How to increase the probability of success in my New Year's resolutions?

The word “purpose” can be defined as the intention or the spirit for which an action is carried out or not carried out. It is the objective that is intended to be achieved or achieved.

In this sense, for many years, human beings have begun to consider a series of resolutions at the beginning of each year, with the hope of change or improve different aspects or areas of our lives.

“I want to start practicing some sport”, “I should organize myself to have a healthier diet”, “I would like to travel more this year”, “I have to read all the books I bought last year and I haven't started yet”, “I want to quit smoking”, “I'm going to get a makeover”, etc. This is the speech of many people at the beginning of the year, in the month of January, or even, at the beginning of a new academic year, in the month of September. However, after a few weeks or a few months, these objectives that were raised with enthusiasm and enthusiasm, remain in the air and are not completed.

In this way, there are people who have begun to reject the approach of these year's resolutions again, because they predict that they will not achieve their goals and, thus, avoid feeling that frustration after their failure. They also justify this rejection by claiming that they prefer to live from day to day, without focusing too much on the future. But is this a solution?

Should we avoid the famous New Year's resolutions or are they an option that can benefit us to achieve our goals?

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Is it worth considering these purposes?

There are studies that show that setting ourselves a series of goals at the beginning of a new year can have multiple benefits for our health in general. For example, one of these benefits would be on an emotional level, since when we invest part of our time in those areas of the life important to us with the idea of ​​fulfilling those purposes, we feel fulfilled, proud, happy or with more Energy. Also, when we finally achieve that goal, we feel really satisfied.

It should be added that the fact of setting ourselves a series of own goals will promote self-knowledge, because in order to choose those objectives to achieve, we first need to ask ourselves “who am I?”, “what do I want/need?”, “what moves me in life?”, etc. And, of course, this increases our level of empowerment, since we are the ones who decide what to do with our time, dispelling that feeling of living on autopilot or feeling dragged by the routine.

Finally, we cannot forget that, getting down to work to fulfill those purposes that we have set, It will help us train our ability to plan and organize time., as well as other skills related to problem solving and goal achievement.

In general, setting new goals on a professional or personal level and carrying them out makes you become the protagonist of your life, of your story, thus favoring your well-being.

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Why do only 10% achieve all their proposed objectives?

A study by the University of Scranton (Pennsylvania) concluded that only 10% of the population manages to fulfill all the purposes that are proposed. You probably feel identified. But why is it so hard for us?

On many occasions, the purposes we set for ourselves are wishes or dreams exposed in a diffuse or ambiguous way: “I want to learn languages”, “I am going to do more sports”, etc. If we are not clear about what exactly we want or how we can achieve it, the probability of success will be greatly reduced.

On other occasions, those purposes that we define are not consistent or realistic with our situation, lifestyle or our values. This is very important, since the probability of abandonment increases if any of these circumstances occur when planning the objectives we want to achieve.

Another cause that can prevent us from achieving our goals is overload us. Although we define our objectives well, we are clear about how we are going to implement each of them, they are consistent with our situation and related to our values... if we set too many, we will saturate ourselves and, again, it is likely that let's fail

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Is there a strategy that will help me achieve my goals?

Yes, in fact, I recommend that you put it into practice, as it will make it much easier for you to achieve your goals. Of course, it is important that, in the first place, you determine what are the reasons why, until now, you have not achieved what you set out to do. In this way, it will be easier for you to correct those variables that are preventing success. Secondly, It will be interesting for you to know and apply the “SMART” technique, which I explain below.

SMART? How can this tool help us? It will help us to check if our purpose is defined or if it is affordable, as well as to start it. To put it into practice we must answer the following questions and reflect on our answers.

S (“Specific”/ “Specific”): What do I want to achieve? How am I going to put it into practice? And when?

It is very important that we determine, in a specific way, what we are trying to achieve, without ambiguities. For example: “I want to play sports. I'm going to go to the gym on Severo Ochoa street on Mondays at 6:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays at 4:30 p.m. I'll be there for about 1 hour and I'll start on January 24.", instead of "I want to play sports." As in the example, our objectives should be defined as clearly as possible.

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M (“Measurable”/ “Measurable”): How will I know if I have achieved it?

Another of the actions that will help us to be constant with our purposes is make sure we're doing it; that is, we will mark certain parameters to know if we succeed.

For example: "Every time I go to the gym when I have proposed it I will register it in my calendar." Keep in mind that keeping a daily written record of your achievements can make your motivation more higher. If you lose track of the goal or your memories of what you've accomplished so far aren't accurate, you can become more easily demotivated.

A (“Attainable”/ “Affordable”): Is it in my power to achieve it? Am I ready to carry it out?

An attainable goal is one that we can achieve, that is, it is not impossible.. They may be easy or difficult to achieve, but they are doable for us. It is interesting that you analyze your current situation, your context, your possibilities, etc., and that you establish objectives that are within your reach. For example, if I only have 1 free hour a day from Monday to Friday, I cannot propose to go to the gym for an hour if, in addition, it takes me 45 minutes to get there.

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R (“Relevant”/ “Pertinent”): Does it make me feel true to my values?

In general, we can define "values" as those principles or qualities important to each person. We each have our own values ​​and they are defined by the education we have received, the culture in which we have grown up and concrete experiences. Normally, although there may be exceptions, a person's values ​​tend to always be the same and, depending on where they are in their life, they will prioritize some more than others. For example: family, friendship, learning, justice, autonomy, respect, etc.

When we choose a purpose according to our values, the probability of achieving it increases. In this way, to check if I am being consistent with myself, I have to analyze if what I think, feel and do is going in the same direction.

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T (“Time-bound”/ “Limited time”): When do I start? What is the deadline to achieve it?

Another thing to keep in mind when setting a goal is have a start date and an end date. In addition, if we divide it into small goals, we can set several specific deadlines for compliance, until we achieve our goal, preventing us from postponing it at the last minute.

In this sense, those objectives set for a determined duration will become a challenge for us.

Yes indeed, that duration that we establish must be realistic. Let's imagine that "I want to learn French B1" and I put my deadline in a week. If my current level is beginner, that is to say, I practically do not know the language, perhaps it is unrealistic, because in a week it is difficult for me to acquire level B1, taking into account the time I can dedicate to it and my abilities, etc.

Once we've learned how to put the SMART technique described above into practice, we're ready to get down to business with our New Year's resolutions! What are you waiting for?

Author: Maribel Martín, General Health Psychologist at Rapport Psychology Center.