WHAT IS YOUR NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them. -Benjamin Franklin

Welcome to another edition with Strugz, where we share important life decisions that people take for granted. Let us talk about the new year to come, every time the year is about to come to an end, I see a lot of persons already planning how the next year is supposed to be, whilst some just want to be alive to make it to the next.

What do resolutions mean to you?

Is it just a list of unattainable ideas that you have made just to get the eyes of others? or are they ideas that you have been ‘pregnant’ for and just waiting to ‘birth’ them with a reasonable force?

For me making resolutions for a new year, is an entire list made up for me, by me to eliminate things I did in the past year, that did not work for me.

A new year’s resolution is a commitment, a promise to yourself that you will do things differently next year, to get something done, ideally along with a plan to make it happen.

The biggest, most important thing I always advise people to put on their list is- 'DO NOT PROCRASTINATE".

As normal as that one promise may sound, it is very important to adhere to that promise for your new year resolutions to pan out and fall in line with all your hard work. Knock procrastination away with the past year and start a new year without it.

Maybe you plan to ring in 2021, with a new resolve to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, not sweat the small stuff. And maybe these resolutions sound familiar — maybe just like the ones you made a year ago!

So how can you ensure that your determination to get work done in the new year sticks around past Valentine's Day? By creating new habits.

Creating new habits takes time and energy. A new behavior would not become automatic overnight, but you may enjoy some of the benefits quickly. So, keep nudging yourself in the direction you would like to go. And try these few tips to help you create long-lasting change.

Dream big. Audacious goals are compelling. An ambitious aim often inspires others around you. Many will cheer you on.

Break big dreams into small-enough steps. Now think tiny. Small steps move you forward to your goal. Look for surefire bets. Just getting to first base can build your confidence to tackle — and succeed at — more difficult tasks. Do not disdain easy choices. If you start every plan with "Make list," you are guaranteed to check one box off quickly. So, break hard jobs down into smaller line items, and enjoy breezing through the easy tasks first.

Commit yourself. Make yourself accountable through a written or verbal promise to people you do not want to let down. That will encourage you to slog through tough spots. One intrepid soul created a Facebook page devoted to her goals for weight loss. You can make a less public promise to your partner or child, a teacher, doctor, boss, or friends. Want more support? Post your promise on Facebook, tweet it to your followers, or seek out folks with like-minded goals online.

Learn from the past. Any time you fail to make a change, consider it a step toward your goal. Why? Because each sincere attempt represents a lesson learned. When you hit a snag, take a moment to think about what did and did not work. Maybe you took on too big a challenge? If so, scale back to a less ambitious challenge, or break the big one into tinier steps.

Give thanks for what you do. Forget perfection. Set your sights on finishing that marathon, not on running it. If you compete to complete, you will be a winner even if you wind up walking as much as you run.

Making a change can be daunting, but it does not have to be. Make a list today of what you want your new year resolution to be, and work towards it for an even better new year.