5 Ways to Create Clear New Years Resolutions
Written By: Katie Jacobi, LPC
The idea of New Year’s resolutions seems to be as polarizing to folks as a preference for cilantro (you either love them or hate them). For some, a New Year’s resolution may feel pathologizing, redundant, or a way to set oneself up for failure as the new calendar year approaches. There is a rare subset of the population who seem to want to make an adaptive change in their lives and have no problem doing that whether it’s a Tuesday in the middle of April, or January first. However, for many of us setting goals that are not only clear, but in alignment with our values can be a meaningful experience and a way to set a path forward into action.
If you’re looking to get clarity around your New Year’s resolutions, and align them with a purpose that would be meaningful to YOU (not your boss, mom, dad, sister, or great aunt… you!). This post is for you. Take a look below to explore five meaningful ways to create not just New Year resolutions, but clear year resolutions in 2023.
Make Your Goals Values-Based
What’s a value-based goal? One that you care about, holds meaning to you, and that can be tied to a distinctive euphoric emotion you’d feel when achieving that goal. Do you want to move into your own apartment this year, and live solo for the first time? Amazing, but why? Perhaps you grew up in a home with limited personal space, blurred boundaries, and shared a room with siblings, and then roommates. Living alone may then tie into a lifelong vision of having your own space that is just for you. This may be aligned with feelings of independence and confidence that may come from transforming such a goal into a reality.
Before you climb the ladder, just make sure it’s leaning against the right house. You want your goals to be aligned with visions of what you want for your life worth living, not those around you. This can be infinitely easier said than done, even in writing it I gave thought to how many goals I’ve worked toward over the years that have been inextricably linked to the expectations of those around me. Though we do not exist in a vacuum, creating clarity around these New Year’s resolutions and making them serve a deeper meaning or purpose to you on an individual level can make them that much more likely to transpire into action. This is not an easy step, but it’s a simple one- get clear on your values and how your goals are in alignment or misalignment with them!
Turn Intangible Goals into Tangible Ones
What do we mean by intangible goals? Ones that you can’t quite hold on to. Something such as “I want to better manage my finances this year”. How to make that a bit more tangible? Block off thirty minutes in your calendar each week to track spending, assess your budget, watch a finance-related video on YouTube, or set up a meeting with a financial planner.
Creating tangible resolutions takes your goals from generalities to meaningful specifics. Ask yourself if your goal has any concrete action steps you can link it with, and make a plan as to how to introduce those actions into your day-to-day life. If you have a resolution to “be nicer” to people this year, you may start by smiling at the barista each time you get your morning coffee. Or, asking a tenant in a store how their day is going. Evolving intangible goals into tangible ones is a helpful way to create a specific plan as to how to implement your resolutions.
Keep Your Goals Visible and Check in On Progress
Sometimes seeing really is believing. It’s easy to ignore the stack of paperwork you have if it’s hiding in an office drawer, or never clean the hallway closet that nobody uses, or organize the spice rack that you never cook with. However, when something is in front of you each day it stays fresh in your mind. Keeping your resolutions in a place where they are visible and easy to access can ensure that you are keeping these goals in mind throughout your days, weeks, and months, rather than just a one-and-done on January 1st.
Additionally, check in on your progress! It’s hard to manage what you do not measure. How are you measuring your progress toward your goals? If you want to save $1000 for your next vacation by the end of the year and start with $0 in your savings fund you may clearly see progress being made when there’s $500 in the account by June! Set up some meaningful ways to check in and evaluate your progress. This can incorporate things like accountability buddies, or even creating scheduled emails you send to yourself to check in on progress with a specific goal at the end of each week, month, or quarter.
Break Down Overwhelming Goals into Simpler Steps
Resolutions feel incredibly overwhelming when they seem too massive to achieve. This is where it can be integral to really break down your resolutions. If you want to run a marathon by the end of the year, maybe download the “Couch to 5k” app as a way to incorporate some gradual movement, and eventually build momentum toward your end goal. When a goal feels too difficult to make progress toward, we often pull ourselves out of the ring before we have a chance to try something new. When making your clear year resolutions, if something on your list makes you break into a bit of sweat just reading it, that may be an indicator that it’s a goal worth breaking into smaller parts.
Prioritize Your Goals
Once you’ve written down a few resolutions that create some clarity as to what you’re working toward this year, prioritize them. If some of your resolutions are slightly more time sensitive or hold a higher priority in the scale of your values, they may be worth bumping up to the first one that you’re working toward. Look at your resolutions and assign a numeric value as to how important they are for you to accomplish, start with the goal that would mean the most to you, and work your way through them with a little dose of self-compassion and grace.
To close out, just remember- what happens in vagueness often stays in vagueness. Getting clear on your resolutions not just in the new year, but whenever you are feeling the impetus to make meaningful changes in your life can be a bold step in the direction of living in your truth. As a team of therapists, one of the most rewarding parts of the work I do is helping clients navigate through the murky waters of what often gets in the way of making meaningful progress toward goals. If this work feels too complicated to take on alone, our incredible team is here to support you through your journey toward a “year of clear” ahead!
Begin Working with A Therapist for Life Transitions
Staying with new resolutions can sometimes take the support of family, friends, or a mental health therapist. Our team is happy to offer support in navigating the new year from our Washington, DC-based practice. We are happy in helping clients realize the goals they find most important. You can start your therapy journey with The Sterling Group by following these steps:
Schedule a consultation with us using our contact form.
Meet with one of our skilled therapists.
Begin creating new tangible goals for the new year
Other Services Offered by The Sterling Group
We know it can be difficult to keep resolutions with dealing with the added stress of mental health concerns. This is why our counseling practice believes in healing for the whole self. Our skilled therapists offer a range of services in addition to life transition counseling related to your healing. These include self-esteem therapy, trauma therapy, and self-discovery. We help folks struggling with anxiety, depression, life transitions, and executive function, and ADHD struggles. We can also provide boundary-setting therapy, LGBTQ+ therapy, and couples therapy. Feel free to you’ll reach out to us to get started with counseling or visit our blog for more helpful info.
