So we’re smack in the middle of the year and by now you will most likely have forgotten those important New Year’s Resolutions you made at the beginning of 2015. But why not treat our “Life Plan” as a business and do a mid-year review? Everyone’s usually pretty pumped at the start of a new year: a fresh new start is always exciting, right? After partying it up for Christmas and New Year’s, we usually turn a leaf come January and start making plans on what we’ll change, improve, renew and sometimes even toss from January 1st on. But if you’re like most people by the end of the first week those resolutions will be one of the things being tossed in the “out with the old” pile. Being at the halfway point of the year could then be a great opportunity to look back, see where we went wrong, figure out what could/would work instead and start all over again.
Statistics show that an average of 7 in 10 Canadians make New Year’s resolutions and that 50% of those will have given up by the end of January. This may be in part because some of the resolutions we make are quite drastic and in most cases unreachable. Amongst the top New Year’s resolutions for most people are to lose weight, stop smoking, be more financially responsible, save more money, find a better job, become a little more organized and exercise more/eat better. To make it those goals even more unattainable, we also throw some character/personality changing goals in there and hope to learn to be more patient, more generous and more loving in the new year. Not easy feats to accomplish in a few days, weeks or even months. Some of those will take a lifetime to achieve and so we just give up.
Researchers and health professionals suggest that in order to make those resolutions more attainable it’s advisable that you try to start small and try to change one behaviour at a time. It is also very important to talk to others about what you’re doing and going through, and if you feel like you’re failing or want to give up, find the strength to get up and try again. Seeking support from others on this journey is also always helpful. And because a lot of the time we do feel like giving up, it’s a good idea to think of these resolutions more as an annual plan that you can break down into smaller pieces (just like a business) and that you have to keep checking every once in a while. This is why a Mid-Year review is a great idea: you can re-focus, get motivated again and in some cases even start all over again. The point is to keep the motivation going.
So if you made New Year’s resolutions that just didn’t quite make it past the first few weeks, the beginning of July can also be that new starting point when you need to pick up the pieces and try all over again. “If you made New Year’s resolutions that didn’t turn out quite the way you planned, now’s your chance to review and revise,” says Psychology Today. “With half a year behind you, it’s possible to look back and see where your New Year’s resolutions went awry. Yet you’ve still got time to look forward to making this the year when you finally lose that 15 pounds or take up a sport you always wanted to try.”
For Canadians, the beauty of implementing Mid-Year resolutions in your life is that some of those goals will be all that more fun to achieve in nice weather? Want to read more? Want to exercise, spend more time with the kids, learn a new hobby, spend more quality time with your spouse and even be more outgoing and generous? A warm sunny day can only help you be more inspired and motivated.
