Is Making New Year’s Resolutions Good For You?

Just like everyone else, I attach myself to the well known tradition of New Year’s resolutions – a bit of reflection on the past year and setting out intentions for the year ahead. Still, are they really all that good for you? It depends on how they are approached. The way to resolutions can actually be a way to finding growth, improving our habits, and overall positive change when done thoughtfully. But done poorly they can create stress, frustration or a feeling of failure.

Below, we take a closer look at the perks and pitfalls of New Year’s resolutions—and how you can make them your own.

What are the Benefits of New Year’s Resolutions?

1. Encourage Self-Reflection

Resolutions get your gears going, to look at your life, the things that you ought to improve on, and things that you need to set priority for.

• Why It’s Good: SELF-REFLECTION INCREASES SELF AWARENESS WHICH HELPS YOU TO FOCUS ON YOUR WAY TO YOUR TRUE SELF.
• Example: When you realize you want to prioritize work life balance it is likely that you will set those things like I do; turning off your work emails after 7pm for example.

Tip: You can use tools like Fix My Life AI to reflect on your thoughts and set structured goals out of those reflections.

2. Promote Personal Growth

One simple way we like to think about resolutions is that they’re a chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone and work towards being a better version of yourself.

• Why It’s Good: Personal growth increases confidence and resilience against the challenges that you are going to encounter.
• Example: Whether it be a skill like coding or photography, learning something new can only help your career or hobby.

Resource: Check out different skills growing platforms like Coursera and Linked In Learning.

3. Provide Motivation

At the start of a new year, we get a psychological fresh start effect that gives us a boost to make changes.

• Why It’s Good: Motivation can lead you to first steps toward your goals.
• Example: You get the urgency. The focus.

Tip: Keep the motivation going by breaking it down into smaller milestones, and celebrate each win.

4. Help Form Healthy and Good Habits

Often these resolutions are about building better habits such as: getting better at eating healthier, exercising, or saving money.

• Why It’s Good: By developing sustainable habits, you can maintain these long term on your well being.
• Example: Meals prepped once a week will help you stay better on a diet and save you money.

Tool: Monitor your progress and stay on track by using habit tracking apps such as Habilica or Fix My Life AI.

5. Make It Feel Like You’ve Accomplished Something

However, reaching a resolution makes you feel accomplished, which improves your self esteem and confidence.

• Why It’s Good: Even reaching small goals makes it easier to succeed.
• Example: Saving $20 a week for the year and finding you have $1,000 come the end of the year.

Downsides of New Year’s Resolutions

1. Unrealistic Expectations

Having overly ambitious goals will leave you disappointed and burnt out.

• Why It’s Bad: Making unrealistic resolutions guarantees failure.
• Example: It’s the decision of going to the gym every day, without considering your busy schedule.

Fix It: Be ready to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals.

2. Pressure to Conform

Setting up a resolution purely based on society’s demand churns peoples’, thus they have many resolutions to go.

• Why It’s Bad: You’re unlikely to pursue goals that you don’t really care about.
• Example: Joining a gym in January because that’s what everyone else is doing, but not because you actually want to work out.

Fix It: Ask yourself what matters and what are the goals you’d like to achieve that are in line with your values.

3. Focus on Perfection

If you approach this with an all or nothing mindset, then just one failure can easily put a resolution off the track.

• Why It’s Bad: Giving up entirely is unrealistic perfectionism.
• Example: Losing one workout and sabotaging the whole fitness goal.

Fix It: Progress is better than perfection. Try to celebrate the small wins, and keep it flexible.

4. Short-Lived Commitment

It turns out, that most people fail at their resolutions by mid February, simply because it’s very hard to sustain any effort long enough.

• Why It’s Bad: Untracked and unremembered resolutions tend to fizzle out quickly.

Fix It: Use the Fix My Life AI as a platform to track your progress and remain accountable all year through.

So, how do we make resolutions that work?

1. Set Realistic Goals: Select resolutions that you can accomplish and which are relevant to you.
2. Track Your Progress: Use tools like; Fix my life AI or Strides to track your milestones.
3. Focus on Habits: Don’t jump on quick fixes, build sustainable habits instead.
4. Celebrate Milestones: In this case, reward yourself for small wins.
5. Stay Flexible: Situation change, so adjust your goals when need be.

How Fix My Life AI Can Help

Fix My Life AI is an all-in-one platform designed to help you succeed with your resolutions:

• Vision Boards: Keeping yourself inspired, visualize your goals.
• Progress Tracking: Milestones should be monitored and plans adjusted accordingly.
• Customizable Goals: Make SMART goals to your own priorities.
• Daily Motivation: You’ll receive reminders and insights to keep you focused.

Conclusion

When you enter into New Year’s resolutions with realistic expectations, clear planning, and commitment to progress versus perfection New Year’s resolutions can have a positive impact on you. They get you to think about yourself, make room for your self growth, and also give room for the better change. But if they are unattainable, fuzzy, or drafted in an uncalm state of mind, they can be counterproductive.

Come make your resolutions meaningful with Fix My Life AI and start off with an achievable path to success. Improving your health, relationships, or career require a certain set of strategies to make sure your resolutions are transformational.

ADDITIONAL READING

Best Life Goals Motivational Quotes for Inspiration

How Long Do New Year’s Resolutions Usually Last?

When Do New Year’s Resolutions Fail