The beginning of a new year always means one thing……RESOLUTIONS. Every January 1st, we always hear the stories, the reports, friends and family members say the famous words “So what’s your New Year’s resolution?” or “No this year I’m really sticking to it”. And of course, every year like clockwork, we all start off strong with the drive and passion to finally do it only to quickly fade by the middle of the month.
In 2018, the New York Post did an article about New Year’s Resolutions. In it they stated, based on research conducted by Starva, the social network for athletes, they were able to pinpoint January 12th as the fateful day in which resolutions fail. They were actually able to give us a date for our failures
Sticking to resolutions is hard and we
all know there’s a lot of talk and pressure in January about getting fitter and being healthier,” Gareth Mills from Strava told The Independent.
And according to the research of the University of Scranton, only 8 percent of people achieve their New Year’s Resolutions while around 80 percent fail to keep their goal going. The most popular goal that most set is to lose the pounds that they’ve put on over the holidays which many start off strong only to have it all fall to the waist side the minute it gets too hard or something negative occurs. And that’s when we start to see ourselves lose our motivation.
A key factor in success is motivation and analyzing millions of activity uploads, we’ve been able to pinpoint the day your motivation is most likely to waver.
New Year’s resolutions were something I just never did. But I watched as others around me made them only to send them to the Resolution graveyard weeks later. And when I finally gave in to joining the rest of society, I’d always say what I would like to accomplish within that year. Throw it out to the universe, caution to the wind. And like the 80 percent of people as mentioned above, I was done before it even started.
But this year, I’m taking a new approach….The Bucket List. If you’re like me, there’s a ton of things you’ve always dreamed of doing whether it’s losing weight, paying down debt, or even finally taking that well-needed vacation you’ve put off for the past 2 years but you find that you never really go through with it. And for some reason, we always choose one or two things to focus on for the entire year. This is why this year I opted for the Bucket List. So what is a bucket list you ask? A bucket list is a series of events that a person wishes to accomplish over a lifetime. It’s an unlimited timeframe to complete things at your own leisure.
So I created a list of things that I wanted to accomplish. Yes, the typical weight loss and go on vacation (which I desperately need lol) is on there. But so is finding a local writers group, taking a walk through different parts of Central Park, eat at a famous restaurant named Carmine’s here in the city and the list goes on and on. I chose things that I’ve always said I would do but never really bothered due to various reasons. But after making a written list and seeing it before my eyes, this year is looking like the year that some of these have a positive shot of being accomplished.
Now I’m not saying that making a resolution doesn’t work or that it’s pointless. I’m not saying a bucket list is even better. When we really look at the bigger picture, it’s all about motivation. Motivation is the secret to completing anything whether it’s a resolution or a bucket list. Keeping it up to achieve these things that you were so amped about in the beginning of the year can prove to be difficult, yes. But keeping your mind in the same state it was or close to it when you first put everything into play will certainly keep you on the right path to accomplish whatever is on your list.
I was inspired to make a list instead of a resolution by the two hosts of one of my favorite podcast, The Basement Yard, at the right time. I had just pulled myself out of feeling stuck because I didn’t know what to do with my life. And like every week, I turned on their show one day. They thought outside the norm which made me do the same. And I have to say, I came up with a lot of pretty good things to try. What I love best about my list is that there are things on it that will test my social skills. For someone who lives with social anxiety, this year out of all the rest I feel like testing myself, stepping out of my shell a bit more. And I’m certain that once I start knocking things off that list, I will not only continue to feed my motivation but feed my emotion of feeling accomplished.
Let’s see if I make it past the designated fail date with some of the simpler things on my list. I’ll keep you posted!!
So what about you? What does your bucket list/resolution look like? I’ll be sure to post my list. Leave a comment down below some of your lifetime achievements you wish to accomplish from your list.
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