I can’t wait to write down at least 5 good resolutions for 2021, how about you?
A difficult year is over, perhaps the toughest in decades for the whole world. This makes it all the more important to start again with a bit of momentum and, why not, a lot of enthusiasm.
The time is perfect for resolutions. We are in lockdown, we can’t go out and we are probably free from too many commitments. 1 January is my favourite day for this “activity”.
How to choose 5 good resolutions for 2021: do I want to or should I?
Having established that we are not going to write a random list, because we want to get serious, let’s start with how to choose resolutions. The first question to ask is “do I really want this or am I writing it because I have to”?
If we write “to lose weight” in our resolutions, let’s ask ourselves if this is what we really want, or is it the usual annual repetition because we have to. A strong desire for a goal helps us to achieve it. The more aware you are of what you want, the less difficult it will be to achieve it.
Understanding what our true wishes are is difficult, but it is crucial. That is why it is worth taking the time. Influences from the outside world are usually strong: the media impose distant models, television creates increasingly unrealistic expectations, social media can generate unforeseen expectations. So let’s ask ourselves: is it really me who wants this? Or is it the result of expectations external to me? In the first case it will be much easier to achieve it, in the second case it will only generate a lot of frustration.
Good intentions should be very specific, not general.
Purpose is part of our personal growth. So, at the beginning of the new year we can restore and choose, choose to be happier, more fulfilled, better people. But to do that we have to give ourselves achievable goals, and for them to be achievable, they have to be attainable.
General resolutions, such as “become better” or “world peace” do not help, and we will forget them after a few days or hours. Well-thought-out and well-defined resolutions can generate change.
5 good resolutions for 2021. Desire, objective, concrete actions
Another way forward could consist of three steps. First step: outline your desire well. Second: translate the wish into a clearly defined goal. Third: write down the list of concrete actions needed to achieve it.
Everyone has their own way of writing down resolutions: some on a blank sheet of paper, some on a note, some in a well-organized diary. The important thing is to write them down, but not only that. If we want to progress towards realization, we have to give ourselves a rhythm and a way of checking. It could be a monthly comparison, a footnote in the diary, a memo. Periodic verification is very important for realization.
Small intermediate steps can be set each month to mark the path and make it easier.
Small intermediate steps can be set each month to mark the path and make it easier.
For the new year, it is worth identifying good intentions in all the macro-areas of our living. The balance of the various parts is never achieved forever, and must be cultivated in the smallest things, as well as in good intentions.
The easiest thing is to start with the body: find a resolution that is achievable, even if it is hard, and you will have great satisfaction. My resolution is to continue the fitness training that I have been doing since April.
And then indulge in resolutions for the mind, soul, relationships and work.
Resolutions or dreams?
Sometimes we make resolutions that seem like pipe dreams. Let’s not be afraid of them, let’s give some space to dreams, it will do us good. The past year has broken many dreams, and we must return to cultivating them in order to start again.
Let’s start again with dreams, intentions and a lot of hope. Together we will succeed.
