Making a resolution, or change, should be made when one decides they want or need to make a change for themselves — that decision need not be put off until New Year’s Day.
The start of a new year is a popular time for many people trying to make some kind of positive change in their life, whether it be eating healthier, exercising or even being a more positive person.
But waiting until the start of a new year to make a positive change is really just procrastination. If a person wants to change something about themself, then there’s no reason why they shouldn’t start today — and setting future goals can be counterproductive.
Business Insider points out that just thinking about what you want to accomplish in the coming weeks or months counts as progress and motivation, even if they’re not immediately tangible. But, it’s this kind of thinking that causes people to procrastinate on their goals.
Sure, starting the year fresh with a new goal and mind gives people a sense of purpose and the idea of wanting to make a New Year’s resolution is great, but it causes people to put off making positive changes in order to do so along with everyone else.
According to a 2017 statisticsbrain.com study on Americans, 41 percent usually make a New Year’s resolution, 48.4 percent have infrequent success with their resolutions and 42.4 percent fail to achieve their resolutions entirely.
The best way to achieve your goals is by doing them now. If people really want to make positive changes in their lives, then the only thing stopping them is themselves.
Achieving your goal comes down not only to personal motivation but building a habit, and the time that can take differs from person to person.
An article in Forbes states that the belief that it takes 21 days to form a habit is a myth, incorrectly interpreted from Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s work on self-image.
It can be easy to give up on your goal, especially a habit-forming goal, when it takes a long time to form the habit. According to a study in the European Journal of Social Psychology, forming a habit for a daily action takes an average of 66 days, but a part of forming a habit is being serious about one’s goals — not telling oneself you’ll get serious about it later.
The bottom line is that if you want to make a change — make it. Make it today —or tomorrow — and if you’re worried about following through, telling someone about it could help.
According to an article on psychology24.com, telling people about your goals can help hold you accountable and get others to help you and provide advice.
So, whether your goal is to live a healthier lifestyle, start recycling or even just try a new, crazy kind of food every week, there’s no reason to wait.
Positive change, or even just something new, is right around the corner, so don’t wait until the New Year to make a change when that change could start right now.
