How To Make A New Year's Resolution That Doesn't Suck

So, new year's resolutions cop a lot of flack and are seen as a little bit wanky. "New Year New Me" is flooded on Instagram captions as people post photos of them going to the gym or reading a book. I get it Karen, you got a green smoothie this morning, go you.

But dude, we all have dreams. We have goals of making a feature film, somehow meeting Mick Jagger, meditating every morning or becoming more sustainable. Setting those goals at the start of the year is refreshing.

So here is how to make a New Year's resolution that doesn't suck.

1. Dream big, but plan it small

Shoot for the bloody stars baby!! But first, be humble enough to start small.

Ok, say you want to write a book in 2021. Break it down!! If you want it to be 80,000 words, then you want to aim to write about 1500 words a week which is only about 220 words a day. Some days you won't write anything, some days you'll write 2 chapters. That's fine.

No matter what your dream is for the year, plan it small and have a place to start. So you want to be healthier? What does that entail? Should you join a gym membership or buy some good joggers to run in? Or do you want to start with your food and try healthier meals instead? Break it down, know where to start, do your research and send it baby! 

If you're planning to pursue your passions in 2021, we can help ya plan it! Our Post-School Planner will give you all the hot goss on how to get there by asking some q’s about your talents, values, interests and personality. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. 

2. Don't beat yourself up about it

We all know those people that say "I'm going to lose 10kgs this year" and then hate themselves when they go five days in a row without exercising.

Prepare for setbacks and interruptions. Prepare that sometimes, you'll go out for dinner with mates and devour a massive chocolate cake for dessert. Let go of the idea that you have to do this perfectly. 

We should really all stop being so harsh on ourselves! Get back into the goal when you can, persevere and don't give up, but accept the little failures. They just make the endpoint all the more enjoyable.

3. Don't focus on what you don't have

When setting a goal, don't focus on what you lack.

Say you want to make more friends. Don't focus on the fact that you don't have many friends or that your mates are pretty toxic. Bad vibes man. 

Instead, focus on how you would feel if you had new mates. Good, right?! Hold onto that feeling, that desire and that positivity. Get excited over the prospects of working towards a new goal. Do things that motivate you and inspire you, keeping you on that path.

4. Accept that you'll need to be patient

We live in a fast world with people wanting quick fixes but Rome wasn't built in a day.

When planning your goals, give yourself time and lots of it. Like I said previously, accept that there will be setbacks, but that is okay!!! Unless your mate is a genie, your dream probably won't appear in a day. But for real, what would the fun be in that anyway? 

5. They'll change

We change every day so it's pretty natural for our dreams to change too.

Maybe you wanted to learn guitar but after a month or two, decided you'd rather learn to play the violin. Maybe you dreamed of being a surfer but actually hate doing it. You tried! Well done. 

Dreams can get smaller and bigger and mould into something else entirely. Accept that your resolutions may not end up exactly how you envisioned and that's bloody okay.

Now go chase some dreams and make 2021 the grooviest year yet.