It’s that time of the year again when everybody is all fired up to set new year resolutions, to change for the better, to get that summer body, to get that raise, to achieve that financial freedom, to get a girlfriend/boyfriend, to get a new job, etc. That’s all fine and good, but let’s ask ourselves; have we ever followed our resolutions through?
I’m guessing most of us here would give the same answer, which is, obviously no. Hey hey hey, don’t feel down, the fact that most people do it means that it is just a normal human thing to do and this includes us as well. But of course, we don’t want to be ‘normal’, we don’t want to be static, we don’t want to be the same, we want to be exceptional, adventurous, different. Human is weird in a way. We want to feel the same, and at the same time, we want to feel different. It’s complicated, isn’t it?
Well, to be different, setting resolutions is a wise thing to do because they are goals, and when you set your goals, you know where you are heading. If you don’t have even one, then your life would be an aimless search for a meaningless journey. Where does that lead you? Nowhere.
In this edition, we’ll share how to set achievable new year resolutions and make your whole year so much better.
Set Little Goals
New year resolutions are often big and adventurous. So much so that they have become dreams rather than goals. And dreams are to be chased in our sleep, not in our wake for most of the time. Instead of ‘go big or go home’, set achievable goals such as “I want to lose 2kg this month”, and when (not if) you do, set more little goals as you progress through the months. Instead of trying to get certified quickly, why don’t you set to get this and that particular skills first for the first few weeks, then see how you went and set more goals afterwards. Baby steps man, baby steps.
Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
Goals are just goals. They are destinations, of course, but they are not dictations. What matters is you took the steps to achieve those goals. Achieving them or not is another case entirely. That’s human’s psychology by the way. We want to do something meaningful, not just reaching the endpoint. That is also why the methods of getting something matters to humanity. For humans, the end doesn’t justify the means. Be cool, if you can’t achieve your goals, try again, and again and again. It’ll be sweeter every time. It is not that you can’t, you are just not there YET.
Don’t Listen to the Nay-sayers
Ah...the good old devils around us, aren’t they? True, we have to be realistic, but that doesn’t mean we have to be pessimistic. Your typical Amma will say just give up, you will never be thin, but don’t give that too much thought. Just breeze your way through and you’ll find yourself proving your mother wrong, isn’t that a good face to look at?
This is also the same with other goals as well. People will say negative things and tell all about the hurdles you will be going through. But it’s your journey, not theirs. Don’t listen too much to them.
Reward Yourself!
Yeah man, reward yourself! You deserved it! Well, achieving the goals is in a way a reward already, but what the heck, go on and pamper yourself some more. Buy that good-looking jacket you have been eyeing for the entire year, get that jumbo deluxe ice cream for once, travel to Bali maybe, anything, just go on and do it. It’s time to reap what you sow.
Compare Yourself Only to You.
Asian parents have always been playing this comparing game so we all know too well the feeling of being compared to others and the pressure to fulfil those expectations. But everyone’s predicament, background, access, IQ, genetics, social settings and even luck differ so much from one person to another, that comparing between ourselves would be an unfair game. You don’t know all of that, so how can you objectively compare yourself to other people, right?
So, who do you compare yourself to? One whom you know very well and you can gauge the growth? Yes, you, yesterday. Be better today than you yesterday. Even if it is just 1% better, that’ll do. It’s better than being static and worse, regressive.
Yes, these are the 5 things you can do to improve your coming year. If you take these gems to heart, we guarantee you that not only you will feel better about yourself, but the people around you as well. Our resolution for the coming year is to expand aplikasi.us to the SEA region and get more SAP consultants in Malaysia to register with us and hopefully, we will be the hub for them to look for jobs in the future. These are our goals. Want to join us? Well, it's easy! just click this link!
Care to share yours in the comment section?
