It Is A New Year - What are your goals?

INTRODUCTION:

Happy New Year to all. It is a new year. What I want to discuss tonight is goals versus resolutions. Although they may seem the same, they are different.

How about some facts?

Although this data is from 2019, I doubt it has changed much. The source of this data is courtesy of; Discover Happy Habits.

"7% of survey participants stuck to all their resolutions in 2019, while 19% kept some but not all of their resolutions. 8% of participants failed to keep any resolutions. And 57% chose not to make a New Year's resolution for 2019."

As you all know from your own experiences with New Year's resolutions, these numbers make sense. Most people do not make New YEar's resolutions because they know they will not keep them.

THE WORDS:

Let's look at the two words:

A goal is the object of a person's ambition or effort, an aim or desired result.

A resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something.

One might say that a goal is easier to achieve than a resolution. If that is what you are thinking, you are correct. However, keep in mind that both require dedication. Furthermore, a plan is flexible, whereas a resolution is not. Therefore, you can see why many people do not or do not attempt to make a New Year's resolution.

Let's ask ourselves another question. Is having a New Year's goal or resolution important? Logic dictates that it is a matter of opinion. In my opinion, it is a good time of the year to do either since it's the start of a new year. However, with that said, I do believe that setting goals are more important than a resolution. By the nature of the definitions, a resolution is a firm decision. A decision that many cannot live up to because life changes. Almost daily. Therefore, there is no room for flexibility. We all could be, and probably are, setting ourselves up for failure.

GOALS VERSUS RESOLUTIONS:

We have seen by the definitions, how and why people fail to make or succeed at their new year's resolution. One of the easiest things for people to do is give up. Why?

Because it is much harder to fight the fight. To urge to give in and quit. Whereas with a goal, you set the parameters and the pace. They are flexible and can easily be adjusted or modified as life changes. However, it is essential to have a resolution or goal. It's your choice which. I believe goals are more realistic, providing you are setting realistic goals. A goal you could reach without making major changes in your life.

Look at the list. Let's say you want to join a gym. If you know you are the type of person that will go alone, try joining with a friend or family member. That is where the flexibility comes in. It makes it easier to accomplish.

Let's take something unrealistic. Let's say you earn $65,000 a year. Do you think, unless you hit the lottery, it is a realistic goal to say you will save a million dollars this year? The concept of succeeding and failing is basic. First, I hate the words fail or failure. I believe they are demeaning, anti-productive, and do not make a person feel good about themselves.

A person only fails if they quit and did not put in the effort they are capable of. If you set a goal, and do not reach it, but give it your best, all that means is you did not succeed.

I have made that statement in many blog posts. It is critical to an individual's self-esteem. Most issues people face are based on the fact that they were set up to fail from the start. Either by their life partner, for whatever reason, work, for many reasons, or due to jealousy by others. Your goals should be determined by you/. Not by others. Only you know what you want to achieve.

Let me explain further. I know how, why, and what makes an automobile engine work. However, that does not mean I can take one apart and put it back together. Therefore, to try and do so, I am probably setting myself up for failure. If my goal was to learn how? The proper goal to place upon myself would be to go to school and learn. That would now be setting a realistic goal for myself.

Each individual has a talent. However, not every s individual knows what that talent may be. As we all grow, life has a way of showing us what we are good at, and what we are not good at. It's our choice to pursue what we are good at. Setting goals in those directions would be the most logical choice. We must keep in mind that to grow as a person and achieve what you consider a successful life, you MUST have goals in all aspects of your life. Without goals, as individuals, we will not grow and remain stagnant. We will neither move forward nor backward. There is a greater chance that we will take steps back over time. Why would we want to do that in our life?

IN CLOSING:

In closing, it is my opinion to make New Year's goals. Or a goal. How many times have you said, or heard said, "ANOTHER YEAR HAS PASSED, AND I AM NO FURTHER NOW THAN I WAS A YEAR AGO." Trust me; we have all said that at some point in our life. A goal provides us with a sense of purpose. A step towards achievement. A way of making ourselves feel better about ourselves because we see ourselves growing as a person.

There are two key elements you must always remember about goals:

Some goals are easier to reach than others,
Some goals take longer to reach than others.

Know what your goal(s) are and be realistic about them. Let's take a look at one example. I choose this one because we have all experienced it. We can spend money much quicker than we can save it. I'm the best example of that. I just relocated out of New England. In four months, I spent tens of thousands of dollars. The amount is not important. It's the principle that matters. My goal now for 2022 is to replace as much of it as possible. However, being realistic, I know it will NOT happen in one year, or many, not even in two years. However, I am not concerned about the amount of time it takes me. God knows I know how long it took to save it. However, as long as I am moving forward and replacing it at some pace, I know I am reaching my goal. In addition, it is a flexible goal. Meaning, I know it will revolve around what life changes occur along the way.

That is what I refer to as a realistic approach to a goal. When I was a child, while my parents were raising me, they told me there are two things you have to do with the money you make. First, ALWAYS pay your mortgage, and ALWAYS put some money in your savings account each week. No matter what the amount, do it each week and do not touch except for an emergency. Have I had to dip into it many times in my life? Ask any writer. Getting started as a writer isn't cheap unless you are fortunate. My point is, every week I put in my saving what I could afford to, from when I started working at 15 years old. I NEVER missed a week. Without that diligence, I would have never been able to do what I just did, help my children, or do anything else I have done in my life. The moral is, if you put your mind to something, you can do it. All you have to remember is those two critical points, so you do not get discouraged or take on things that are not realistic.

It is my sincerest wish that everyone had a joyful Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. For those of different faiths, I further wish your holidays we also joyous. May this new year give us all the wisdom, strength, and tenacity to persevere through these difficult times. With a bit of luck, next Monday evening will be my first video blog post of 2022.

Stay safe and be well,