Rewording Your Resolutions

Posted by Kat Stein on 4th Jan 2019

Rewording Your Resolutions

As 2019 begins, we are given the opportunity to establish resolutions to coincide with a new year. Though it is tempting to go for those huge, black and white goals or general lifestyle changes (lose x pounds, read more, etc.), we all know that many times these resolutions wind up forgotten after a couple months, and are often worded in a negative way that does not promote growth or positivity. Reflecting instead on your inherent traits, qualities that you’d like to welcome into your life, and positive resolutions may be more beneficial. Focusing on small, positive goals will help you achieve your larger goals while also helping you grow and maintain happiness!

Reflection

To begin your growth in the new year, start by reflecting on all that you are and all that you wish to be moving forward. Consider any regrets you have from the past year, any “I wish I had…” or “I was I was…” thoughts, any goals or wishes you may have for the year ahead of you, and aspects of your personality that you love and aspects that you would like to work away from. Write down any important words or phrases that you think of during your reflection – these thoughts will probably sound like the big, general resolutions we are trying to avoid, but that’s ok!

Some examples may be: lose weight, save money, don’t be stubborn, etc.

Focus

Once you have your goals, traits, words, and ideas written down, you can hone them into smaller mantras to apply to your every-day life. Remember that we want these ideas to have an air of positivity and lightness to them, so try to avoid heavy or negative sounding words. Try to make each goal or idea simple and positive – something that is easy to remember. Using the ideas from above, here are some examples:

Lose weight.The main goal here is unclear – do you want to be more fit? Do you want to eat a healthier diet? Though this is a short thought, it’s a very general idea, and doesn’t really inspire any positive feelings – instead, it conveys a lack of self-love and self-acceptance. Instead of telling yourself to lose weight, try:

Love my body.This can mean whatever you want it to mean, whether that’s being more comfortable in your own skin, exercising regularly, eating healthier, etc. What’s important is that the mantra conveys positivity, and repeating it back to yourself will inspire you to achieve your goal.

Save money. Of course, who doesn’t want to save money? But again, this is such an unspecific goal that it feels impossible to know how to start. Instead try:

Feed $5 to my piggy bank each week.This turns your resolution into a fun, easily achievable activity, instead of some daunting task. To spice it up even more, you can decorate a big mason jar (or some other glass container) and keep your savings there, that way there is a visible representation of your hard work!

Be less stubborn.Telling yourself to “be less” of anything makes pretty much no sense to the brain. Try thinking about more positive traits you’d like to develop that will help you “be less” of the thing you don’t like. In this case, a good example might be:

Invite flexibility into my life.I am a big fan of this one, because it is easy to conjure in your mind while struggling with the negative feeling you’re trying to stray from. In the heat of the moment, it can sometimes be hard to slow down and think. So instead of being snappy in situations, or stubborn in your decision making, try remembering “I am inviting flexibility into my life” to help you remember the goal you are working towards. It will get easier the more you try!

Try applying these ideas to your own resolution and see how your positive spin can affect the outcome!

Appreciate

Though it is most common to just think of things you want to change about yourself in the new year, it’s important to think of things that you love about yourself as well. Take some time to think about what aspects of your personality, of your body, and of your mind you most enjoy. Create three mantras about yourself, for yourself, to repeat when you feel you need to be reminded of how awesome you are. Some examples could be: my body is strong and beautiful, the love I give is powerful, I enjoy the way I think, etc. Anything that you love about yourself counts!

After you’ve focused your resolutions and come up with your appreciative mantras, you may want to craft some sort of vision board to display for yourself as a reminder of the goals you’ve set and the things you love about you. Gather your favorite art supplies and decorate the board in a way that brings you joy - make sure to leave room on the board so you can add to it in the future!

Happy 2019, we wish you a wonderful year.