The new year, for me, usually means watching everyone getting caught up in the frenzy of setting resolutions. I say watching because over the years I've found myself not needing to set a goal that will more or less be forgotten by mid-February.
Now, I'm not saying that I don't believe in resolutions, which is silly to say because they exist. It's not like resolutions are make believe or that they don't work; I'm saying that I'm a procrastinating realist who has trouble finding the motivation to leave her room some days.
With that said, I find that making little monthly, weekly or even daily goals are easier to maintain. This strategy has also proved to be successful in accomplishing more. From my experience, goals can easily be lost in the rush of daily happenings if they're not planned into everyday activities. For example, if I were planning to eat healthier and lose weight but I do not plan out what to eat and do, then I would completely disregard the goal on that day. Because this is often the case for me, not only do I set mini goals to fulfill a larger goal, but I stick notes reminding me to accomplish something everywhere. For those who are impatient and demand instant satisfaction, resolutions can prove to be a pain, especially if they've ironically resolved to be less impatient.
This leads back to my point of making small objectives every so often to achieve a goal. Setting mini goals can instill the illusion that achievements are popping up faster and that you're reaching the next level with more ferocity.
A simple solution to this is to make a game out of it. Instead of resolving to lose weight, resolve to learn a new sport (killing two birds with one stone!) or to dance more. Instead of resolving to quit smoking, challenge yourself to see how long you can go without a cigarette and reward yourself when you beat each record (preferably not with a smoke).
You could even resolve to do fun things like listen to new music or watch as many movies as possible.
If a resolution goes haywire and the impending self-hatred doom seems to be lurking around corner, take a deep breath start over. Resolutions are not reserved only for Jan. 1 of every year.
Tiffany Do is a sophomore from San Francisco, Calif. She can be reached at tiffany.do@student.shu.edu.
