Anxious about sticking to your New Year’s Resolutions? Read this

Posted on 10/01/2017 by Jess O'Connor

Are you struggling to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions? Do the motivational quotes on Instagram make you feel anxious about your own goals and dreams? Are you on day 10 of your new healthy eating plan and all you can think about is pies and fries?

Don’t worry: you’re not alone. Statistics show that only eight per cent of people stick to their New Year’s Resolutions. That means 92 per cent of people give up.

But surely 92 per cent of people aren’t all failures? What if we’re just looking at New Year’s Resolutions in the wrong way?

Many of us approach Resolutions with an “all or nothing” attitude, and this makes our goals really hard to measure.

For example, if your Resolution is to “get healthy”, what counts as healthy? Do you automatically fail if you eat one square of chocolate or skip a session at the gym? What happens if you have a bad day?

Here’s an idea: let’s ditch New Year’s Resolutions in favour of New Year’s Intentions.

A Resolution is “a firm decision to do or not do something”.

An Intention is “an aim or a plan”.

Intentions are flexible and sustainable; Resolutions are fixed and intimidating. You cannot fail an Intention, but you can fail a Resolution.

How to set New Year’s Intentions

If you want to let go of guilt and anxiety and enjoy a happy, successful 2017, then Intentions are the way to go.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Pick a word for 2017

Setting specific goals can be tough, especially when you’re still in holiday mode. Instead, pick a word that you would like to focus on throughout the year. Here are some great examples:

• Health
• Happiness
• Trust
• Study
• Travel
• Career

Write this word somewhere special where you will see it every day, such as on the fridge or above your desk.

2. Write your ‘Dream Bio’

Writing your Dream Bio is a really fun exercise to help you get clear on what you want from life. Imagine it’s five years from now and write down everything you want people to know about you. For example, answer these questions:

• What is your job?
• What qualifications do you have?
• Do you have a family?
• What are your hobbies?
• Where do you live?

Let your imagination run wild! Once you have your Dream Bio, work backwards to set some intentions for 2017.

3. Give yourself permission to fail

The beauty of setting an Intention is that you can change it whenever you want. If you get to April and realise it’s not working for you, then adjust! There’s no set rules. Give yourself permission to be flexible – once you remove the fear of failure, you will probably find it easier to stick to your plans.

Good luck, and remember – goals don’t just have to be hard work. They can also be fun, rewarding, and uplifting. Here’s to a bright and intentional 2017.

Is studying travel and tourism one of your New Year’s Intentions? ITC is enrolling now for 2017 courses. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you kickstart your career in airline, travel or tourism.

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