New year...Same me (but better)

 So... it's a new year, therefore it's obviously a new me right??

As someone who is smack bang in the middle of the 'Gen Z' era, I personally feel an extreme amount of pressure to start the new year with a gigantic list of new years resolutions that are going to somehow miraculously turn me into some kind of Gen Z superwoman that I've dreamt of being every new year since the beginning of time. Realistically, most of us create these expectations of ourselves at the beginning of a new year and have a bloody fantastic January.....and that's about as far as it goes and we fall off the wagon. Whether you've made a resolution to go to the gym 4 times a week, or finally stick to your meal plan that's been reprinted to put on your fridge 67 times, or you're finally going to start up that side hustle you've been talking about (e.g. me writing my second blog post right now, we'll see how long the weekly posts last 😉), we all have goals that we feel that extra push of motivation to really commit to on January 1st. 

I decided to sit down this year and do some thinking about the psychology behind why we might feel this way; here's what I came up with.

Firstly, "new year, new me" has been so deeply engrained in our mindset as a society that I think everyone just sets resolutions because that's what everyone else does , and as human beings we have an implicit need to fit in with cultural and societal norms to feel validated. 

Secondly, the physical beginning of a new year, serves as a metaphorical fresh start. Yes, I paid my gym membership for the last 4 months of the year and didn't go once, but that was soooo 2021 me, this is 2022 me and she's a committed gym junkie now just you wait and see #hotgirlsummer. 

So with that being said, why do so many new years resolutions fail so quickly when we often spend lots of time sitting down and writing out how we're going to make the new year our bitch? Well, after much deliberation I have decided that personally I think it is the immense pressure we put ourselves under to stick to not only 1, but sometimes 5, 10, 15 (!!) goals at a time. We want to save X amount of money, and get fit, and eat healthy, and get a pay rise at our job, and start our side hustle, and get good grades in uni. How can one person focus on all of that at a time, and still have time for the simple things in life like friends, family, actually doing your job at work, studying for uni etc. Additionally, many of us set goals for ourselves without any sort of plan. I'm not sure if you have heard of the WOOP technique (wish, outcome, obstacle, plan), but without a goal and then a clear plan of how we're going to achieve this goal, we are very unlikely to be successful. More on the WOOP technique in future posts. 

Ok Sav, so thanks for telling us that all our new years resolutions are doomed to fail, do you have an actual point to this post??

Yes, in fact I actually do. Here's some wisdom that you may or may not choose to take on board, from a girl who is still trying to figure her own s*** out. A few techniques that I have adopted to try and keep me on track and in line with my personal goals for 2022:

Pick a word of the year. Sit down and have a long hard think about what you want to achieve this year, or what you want to work on within yourself. When choosing a word, don't ask for the opinions of anyone else, not even your best friend, this needs to be a word that you truly connect with and isn't influenced by anyone else. Once you choose this word, write it down, write it everyday, stick it somewhere you will always see it, and when you are feeling like you're losing focus from your goals or aspirations, remind yourself of this word to help you re-focus. For example, my word of the year is CONFIDENCE. 

Here is a link to a website that I think perfectly illustrates the process of choosing a word of the year, and gives you a bunch of words to sift through if you're having a mental block: https://mountainmodernlife.com/word-of-the-year/

Start journaling. This can look however you want it to look. Whether you want to throw it back to the 'Dear Diary' days, or you want something a little more modern, journaling is a great way to organise your thoughts when you are feeling overwhelmed or it's getting a little chaotic up there. In particular, I challenge you to start your journaling each day with 5 things you are grateful for. This will help shift you into a more positive and relaxed mindset to start your day. 

Sit down and brainstorm your goals (in your new journal😀). Initially, this list can be absolutely as long as you like, just write every goal that comes into your head. Once you've got this list, properly assess it and determine which goals are long (5-10 years), medium (2-5 years) and short-term (6-18 months). Once you have categorised these, it will help alleviate the pressure felt at the start of a new year when you are faced with a list that seems completely overwhelming. It will show you that although saving for a house deposit is one of your new years resolutions, you do not need to save $50k in a year; this is a long term goal (5-10 years) that you can focus your savings milestones on for 2022 and into the future. 

Finally, if you do make some new years resolutions and they don't all turn out how you planned, don't beat yourself up about it. Life is a crazy roller coaster and is often unpredictable. Sometimes all you can do is strap in for the ride. Another important thing to note is that it is never too late to brainstorm or set up a plan for your goals. There is no law that states that all goal setting must happen on January 1st and no other day ever. So if the start of your year hasn't gone to plan, or your resolutions haven't worked out the way you'd hoped, just know that you can absolutely jump back on the horse and try again. In fact, it's encouraged to give it another go, because how the heck are we supposed to learn and grow if we never make mistakes.