Why You Should Set Mid-Year Resolutions
Most of us begin each year with a full tank of optimism and ambition. We wipe last year’s slate clean and write out shiny new resolutions that we fully intend to accomplish before the year-end fireworks go off.
Then all of a sudden we are tumbling into July clutching a list of forgotten resolutions and feeling the weight of our own unmet expectations. And here, we have two choices. One is to write off the whole year as a loss and resolve to do better next year. The other is to make the best of the remaining six months by setting mid-year resolutions.
The resolutions you set in January are based on predictions and idealism. The ones you set at mid-year are based on realism. In other words, this is the perfect time to revisit, reassess and reprioritise your goals in relation to your current direction.
Here is woman with drive’s short guide to setting mid-year resolutions and hitting each one.
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1. Check in with where you are at right now. Look over your New Year resolutions and remind yourself why you made each one. With each, ask yourself whether it is still important and relevant to you right now. If it is not, drop it. Do not guilt yourself into pursuing a meaningless goal. Only keep resolutions that have a strong purpose, that support your current development and that you genuinely want to work towards.
2. Cut the fat. Ideally, you would keep only one New Year resolution as a mid-year resolution. If you end up with more than one, then focus on the most important. A single resolution met by 31 December is much better than five half-finished ones on 1 January.
3. Shift the goal post. Were your expectations too high in January? Could that be the reason you have not achieved your resolutions? If that is the case, then move the goal post. This could mean setting a more realistic deadline, a clearer outcome or simpler action plan.
4. Change the strategy. Most people rely too much on their own willpower and wind up severely disappointed when they slip up. Instead of putting yourself to the test, why not change your environment? For instance, if fitness is on your list, consider hiring a personal trainer who makes house calls rather than plan to battle rush hour traffic to get to a gym across the city.
5. Reward yourself. Celebrate your accomplishments in two areas; the resolutions you kept and the learnings that have led to reshaping your mid-year resolution. Acknowledging both large and small wins will show you that the past six months have not gone to waste and keep your enthusiasm going for the next six.
6. Buddy up. Do any of your friends share the same goal? Partner up and motivate each other as you head to the Finish line together. If none of your friends share your goal, then partner up with someone who will hold you accountable, show you tough love and cheer you on.
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