The 1st new moon for 2022 was on the second day of the year. New moons are the time to set intentions for the coming month. For thousands of years and in many countries around the world, at the end of the calendar year, people have reviewed areas of their lives and their own performances to ascertain what needs improvement and set New Year resolutions.
It is interesting that globally the end of the year is linked with review and change. Fresh beginnings and improvements for the year to come are something to aim for.
The universe has given you an exclamation mark to set your resolutions now with the new moon being so close to the beginning of the year!
Intentions and aspirations are words that can also be used but we shall use resolution since it may be easy for you to relate to. I want to make this very familiar since 2022 is a year of positivity and opportunity. This is the moment to set your desires in motion!
A 2022 New Year Resolution Map
What are New Year Resolutions?
Resolutions are promises that you make to yourself to work towards a distinct goal or the reformation of a habit. A key element to a New Year resolution that sets it apart from other resolutions is that they begin in the New Year and they are to last for a year. People plan to commit themselves to work on the resolution for an entire year. These lifestyle changes are advantageous ones.
The Basics
There are a number of areas that people commonly choose to improve. Many people consider attempting to improve their health and focus on specific areas associated with their wellness such as eating, exercising, stress, and altering habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol that they believe are having a negative effect on their health.
At the end of the year, people also review their career paths and jobs and resolve to alter those in some way or to undertake further training and improve their education.
Typically an examination might also be made of finances. People then resolve to get out of debt and spend less, or save more and even earn more.
While throughout the world there will be billions of people resolving to change areas of their lives or facets of their personality in some way, sadly statistics reveal that the failure rate for New Year resolutions is as high as 88%.
Making ‘Specific’ Resolutions
Statistics show that most people who make New Year resolutions fail to bring about the change that they resolved would happen. In fact, 88% of people break their New Year resolutions. By reading this blog carefully and following its prompts, you can succeed!
Given this negative fact, if a person wants to ensure the success of their resolve then they need to go about the formulations of their resolutions in the right way. Research has shown that there is a 22% higher chance of the resolutions being successful if people engage in goal setting.
Get Down To It
Psychologists believe that rather than having several resolutions, we are more likely to keep our resolutions if we make just one and focus on it energetically.
New Year resolutions should be goal-focused, but for success, it is important to choose a specific realistic goal.
Many individuals choose ambiguous goals when making their resolutions such as “lose weight” or “get in shape”. While such resolutions are admirable they are likely to fail as there are no specific goals or objectives attached to them.
Rather than saying “lose weight,” it is better to resolve to “lose 10 lbs.”
The goal is then specific.
Once there is a specific goal, it is then possible to plan to achieve the goal. There has to be a plan to tackle the necessary behavioral changes that will bring about success.
Write down the goal and then make a list of the things that you have to do to achieve the goal. The small steps or objectives that have to be undertaken to achieve the goal need to be easily attainable.
It is better to have the objective of losing half a pound a week to achieve the 10 lb weight loss than having the objective of losing it in two weeks.
By knowing exactly what you are aiming for and how to go about it in small steps, it is much more likely that a resolution will be kept and not broken.
Having the Right Mindset
New Year resolutions are difficult to keep. Most resolutions require us to change a form of behavior or circumstance. Particular behaviors have been created over many years and to bring about change in them will require a lot of patience, time, and effort. Changes will not occur overnight, but they will occur.
Perspective is Important
People have a much greater chance of keeping their resolutions if they have a positive mindset and are willing to be persistent. It is a good idea to focus on what the resolution will add to your life rather than what it will take away.
For example, it is better to have a positive mindset and think about eating more healthy foods rather than thinking about eating less unhealthy food.
Really wanting to bring about a change and focusing on one resolution is going to help you to succeed. Once the goal has been clearly formulated it is important to visualize the success and to try to remain thinking positively.
The goal should be written, reproduced, and highly visible. It could be in an appointment diary, on the computer desktop, on post-it notes on the fridge, and on banners around the room. Indeed, it needs to be placed wherever it is convenient to remind you of your goal.
Enlisting the help and support of family and friends and joining a group of like-inspired persons will improve the chances of success. It is important to bear in mind that the resolution may be broken but that must not be seen as a failure. Instead, any lapse should be reviewed as a learning opportunity.
Renewing motivation will be helpful too. When it gets hard for an individual to persist with their resolution, they should remind themselves of the reason why they are trying to change or improve. They must remind themselves of what they have to gain by achieving their goal.
Individuals with positive mindsets will succeed.
Having the Necessary Resources
To succeed in keeping a resolution, it is absolutely essential that very careful planning is undertaken in advance of the resolution being made. As in all areas of life, if we want to succeed, then we must plan for our success.
What Do You Need?
Firstly it is essential that there is a clearly defined, specific, and realistic goal. Once the goal is known, it has to be broken down into steps or objectives.
The steps need to be small and achievable. Recording of all the objectives and the goal should be undertaken. It would be advisable to have a journal ready as well in which you can record your successes, failures, and obstacles that you have had to overcome.
As well as the plan itself and the journal, there needs to be careful consideration of other resources that might be necessary. One of the most important resources a person can have available would be friends or family members who would be willing and able to support the behavior changes that the person is going to attempt to undertake.
So, approaches for support need to be made to such people well in advance. Other support personnel could come in the form of club or organization members of like-minded people. It may be necessary to take out membership in a particular organization prior to attempting to institute the resolution.
Certain physical resources and equipment may need to be purchased. Anyone undertaking a physical change may need to invest in special shoes and clothing not to mention gym membership perhaps. Certain food items might need to be disposed of and replaced by others if individuals are considering weight reduction as a goal.
Likewise, individuals quitting smoking will need to enlist the support of their GP and perhaps necessary antismoking drugs and nicotine gum.
Preparation will certainly go a long way to get you on the right track to success.
Identifying the Major Roadblocks
Many New Year resolutions are the sort that will require an individual to make changes to their behavior. Behavioral change is very difficult and won’t happen overnight.
What Could Be An Issue?
Behaviors and habits are acquired over a long period of time so changing them and replacing them with different behaviors will be slow. It is crucial that anyone undertaking such a resolution recognizes this.
As well as the changes being slow to make, it is inevitable that the resolution will be broken simply because to change behaviors takes a very long time. This must also be understood by anyone making a resolution.
To be successful you should plan how to tackle the behavioral changes that you are going to have to make. You must make a list of the strategies that you intend to employ to achieve it and also note the obstacles that will have to be overcome.
It can’t be stressed too much how important a journal is in helping to succeed. A journal can be used to record progress and any setbacks along the way. It should be referred to often as it will enable a person to identify what the obstacles were that made them break or deviate from their resolution. Once that is identified, then effort can be made to ensure that circumstances aren’t repeated again.
It is important to avoid repeating past failures. If someone has made the same resolution and failed repeatedly, it is going to be hard for them to succeed as their self-belief will be low. In this situation, the goal should be revised. They should reflect on which strategies had been the most effective and what obstacles prevented them from keeping the resolution. By changing the approach it is more likely that they will see results.
It must be remembered that change is a process. Unhealthy habits take years to develop and it may take longer than you think to change.
Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
The breaking of a resolution should not cause you to give up your resolution. We have to remember that we are human and to err is human. We will all make mistakes and the breaking of resolutions is almost inevitable as changing human behavior is slow and very difficult. We must keep reminding ourselves that it is normal to break a resolution. It is important that we adopt a different mindset to resolution breaking and see it not as a failure but as a step along the way to achieve our goal.
Take A Breath!
If we break our resolutions, we should try to be positive and see it as an opportunity to learn a lesson.
What we should do is reflect very carefully on what it was that caused us to break our resolution and identify the obstacle. Once the obstacle has been identified, we should set about to ensure that the set of circumstances that caused us to break our resolve isn’t repeated again.
We should remember that the change is slow and we should also reward ourselves for every small step reached along the way to reaching our goal.
Closure
When we undertake to make a New Year’s resolution we do so with an air of optimism and hope. New Year resolutions by definition are about improvements and changes, all with positive outcomes. It is natural for us all to want the best for ourselves and those around us and to try to bring this about.
Conversely, while the resolutions are made all too easily, keeping to them is very difficult indeed. Bringing about the changes is difficult and slow and the resolutions can be broken. For the vast majority of people, the breaking of the resolution is sufficient for them to give up their resolution. This can be demoralizing and the individuals see themselves as having failed. This is not a failure but rather a challenge which will allow you to grow more integrally.
The year of 2022 is an auspicious one. It is filled with optimism and possibility. The previous years filled with the global plague of Covid have necessitated a deep look into yourself and your goals. Many of us have consciously moved out of toxic relationships and stifling work. Recognizing the precious life you are living, live it to its fullest.
Do your best with your 2022 resolutions and move forward. Work with the universe’s vibrations to empower you now under the energy of the growing new moon. Lovingly create the life you deeply want in the coming year.
Let’s work together to achieve your resolutions for 2022. I am at the ready to help you clarify them and take action.
Simply respond on my homepage @www.wellnessagenda.com to schedule a complimentary 1/2 hour session.
Here’s to your very best life that will uplift you into your wildest dreams.
