Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions in the hope of bringing about positive change. Every year, the recurring themes are a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development. The New Year is quickly approaching, and as is customary, there are many hopes, dreams, and resolutions to be made for the coming year. This time, however, I will refrain from hoping and dreaming and instead focus solely on my resolutions.
My previous experiences have taught me that hoping and dreaming are a waste of energy because they usually do not come true or fall far short of the mark. Only resolutions can be kept to some extent with success.
First and foremost, I resolved to devote less time to talking and more time to doing. My friends and I had spent a lot of time gossiping and talking nonsense over the past year, so it had been a very noisy one. We cannot afford such a luxury this year. There is a lot of work to be done if we are to pass the upcoming exams. So it’s action time, and I’m going to devote the entire year to it.
Second, I need to spend less time in front of the television, stereo, and computer. These are enjoyable activities, but they are also time-consuming. My time would be better spent on my books. Otherwise, I might end up running out of time. I have to make the effort to get away from these very addictive time-wasters.
Next, I resolved to reduce my physical activities both at school and outside of school. It’s fine to score a few goals and be a hero for a short time, but sports heroes fade quickly. It is preferable to perform well in the exams than in the field. Legs wear out and can no longer kick the ball for long periods of time. The brain is far more resilient.
Physical activities include time spent in shopping malls and fast-food restaurants. Again, these are enjoyable activities while they last, but I must grow out of them. Furthermore, these activities are expensive. Money can be better spent than on fried chicken or a glass of fizzy drink.
Finally, I intend to keep these few resolutions. Previously, I used to make a ton of resolutions that I had no chance of keeping. So I was only fooling myself by making so many wishful resolutions. This cannot continue, or I will continue to deceive myself. A few resolutions are far easier to remember and thus keep than a dozen resolutions that are quickly forgotten and thus impossible to keep.
The timeline for achieving your goal, like “achievable,” should be realistic. That means giving yourself plenty of time to complete the task, with plenty of smaller intermediate goals set up along the way. “Focus on these small victories so you can make gradual progress,” said Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit” and former New York Times writer. “When you’re creating a habit, you’re thinking about the next decade, not the next few months.”
As the old year draws to a close, a new year appears. I will strive to keep my resolutions with determination and courage, rather than letting them fade away like so many meaningless words.
