A century and a half!

#150

Well, well, well! My New Year Resolution at the start of this year was to outdo last year's 100 posts, which soon got downgraded to a hundred posts. Not bad, still the same as last year's. A little more than halfway through the year and I'm at exactly the midpoint. Not at all bad, eh? Look at that, a hundred posts, and only fifty more to go - still doable IMHO. 

New year resolutions are highly debatable these days. Some feel it's a great way to welcome new beginnings, start new habits, and embark upon a new journey to get rid of a bad habit, and more. Others meanwhile feel it's a myth or overrated. I'm on both sides - I don't mind treating January 1st as the start of something new while I also don't want to wait for a supposedly 'special' day. 

Want to start a new habit? Treat the start of your new habit on any day. Don't wait for January 1st. Who even sets resolutions anymore? Even the jokes are outdated, right! Moreover, we have way too many books, quotes, concepts, mechanisms, and what have you, telling you how to do that in myriad ways - Atomic Habits, Tiny Habits, The Power of Habit, GTD, habit stacking, etc. All that's left is to simply take action. I know it's easy to give advice and a lot harder to actually follow it, but as Agatha Christie says: "Good advice is always certain to be ignored, but that's no reason not to give it." :) 

If you introspect why one might not end up following one's New Year's Resolutions, here are the top five reasons:

1. Operating on a short-term mindset and expecting immediate results
2. Not having an action plan
3. Focusing on too many things to change at the same time
4. Starting with a habit that is too big in itself
5. Thinking of New Year Resolutions as things we do, not the things we are

Okay, this is a relatable and possibly accurate list, but how do we fix it?

Other than breaking down a big goal or habit into SMART format, how about writing a 'who do you want to be in a year?' narrative? I offer this one suggestion because it's not only tried and tested but also ONE suggestion, as opposed to a barrage of suggestions that might become difficult to follow all at once.

In order to think about this and write it, set aside time to do so. It might also encourage you to introspect more using Introspective Questions into reflecting on how your past years went by and what you would like to change about them.

Good luck for the rest of 2021 and stay safe!