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We do it to ourselves year after year. The New Year’s resolution. According to a recent study, only about 9% of people who make New Year’s resolutions, keep them. In fact, 43% of ll people expect to fail before February, and almost 25% quite within the first week of setting their New Year’s resolution! Are we setting ourselves up for inevitable failure? Will we be in the successful minority?  

Goal setting is wonderful. In fact, it’s important that we try and push ourselves to reach our greatest potential. But what if we tried something different this year? What if….we just didn’t make a New Years resolution in 2023? Instead of making a resolution this year, try approaching it from a different angle. 

First of all, give yourself some grace. As a society, we’ve been through a lot over the past few years. If you feel it’s necessary to make some type of change or “fresh start”, be sure to start small. Think in incremental steps instead of big changes. For example, instead of “I will stop eating junk food”, think about how much junk food you actually consume daily, and try limiting it to once a day or once a week. Quitting anything cold turkey can prove quite difficult for most people. Think about your motivation for making the change. Will it improve your quality of life? Or are you doing it because you think you “should”? 

Another approach is instead of trying to focus on removing bad habits or fixing what’s wrong in your life, focus on mindfulness and release some of your self-criticism. Show gratitude for what’s going right in your life rather than focusing on the negative and worry. 

By removing the pressure of sticking to a resolution, you might just discover that healthier habits become a natural consequence. When we’re happier, we’re healthier. It’s okay to take a break this year and think about what to include more of into your daily life (good friends, meditation, giving), rather than what to remove. This shift in perspective could be the angle you need to improve your year!