NEIL JOHNSON
If you’re one of the millions of resolution-makers around the world, then there’s a good chance your resolve has wavered by now, or perhaps you’re breathing rarefied air among the eight per cent who achieve their goals.
What’s the problem?
Singapore-based Kevin Kan, chief experience officer at Break Out Consulting Asia, cites lack of motivation, resistance to change and overly ambitious goals as hurdles in achieving resolutions.
"While you need to aim high to get rewards and personal growth, break your goals down into milestones so that they don’t seem so daunting or difficult," he suggests. He also recommends creating goals that play to your strengths, particularly if you find change challenging.
"Rather than thinking outside the box, why not extend your box? Leverage your strengths to build on what you do best."
Keeping a written note of what you are hoping to achieve is helpful so you remind yourself of the reason for the resolution in the first place. And you may need to reassess what it is you are striving towards, particularly if you encounter a hiccup.
"Successful people don’t stop at a single setback; they learn from the experience, refine the process and keep going," Kan adds.
So how do we really make 2022 the year of resolve and realised goals?
Mini-wins
One method might be to drop resolutions altogether in favour of an alternative approach. Mallika Chopra, author and CEO at Chopra Global, finds changing habits difficult, but has had success by focusing on micro-intents as opposed to loftier resolutions.
"I think resolutions come from our mind – things we try to justify because we should do something – while intents come from our soul, that deep place inside of us when we ask ourselves: what do I really want?" she says.
"My shift to intentions versus resolutions has been to prioritise how I want to feel versus setting specific goals: for example, a shift from losing ten pounds to feeling more energy every day; or instead of meditating daily – and feeling guilty if I don’t – to finding moments of peace."
In practice, this means stating what you want to achieve or experience for just that day, then reflecting at night (and the following morning) on how you felt, emotionally and physically.
Be precise
Similarly, but with the bigger picture of a resolution in mind, Gretchen Rubin, the New York Times bestselling author of Better than Before and The Happiness Project, recommends setting little targets you can monitor, while avoiding ones that are too vague or hard to measure.
"Don't expect to be motivated by motivation," she says. "If you say something like, 'I want to read fiction for 30 minutes a day, I want to watch a classic movie every Sunday night, I want to spend at least an hour outside in nature every day,' these will help you get more fun out of life and you can monitor them."
Meaningful goals
"Two goals will be easy to remember and focus on," says early retirement coach and financial wellness speaker Dr Lakisha Simmons.
"More than two can easily be
