New year, same you?

By: Emile Shen

Starting is the hardest part

As quickly as resolutions are made, they seem to be broken. How can we work on making those dreams into a reality, and unlocking the infinitesimal potential within us?

Newton’s first law of motion applies to setting goals too. Objects in motion, stay in motion. It’s about that extra force that’s the most difficult part; it requires extra motivation and effort to get your goals started. That is the most trying part.

Cut down the number of goals

Along with the hustle and bustle of day to day life, a long list of resolutions add to the stress. Whether this is making an effort to be more organized, start volunteering somewhere, go to the gym three times a week, and also preparing healthy meals for yourself – it adds up. If you limit yourself to a couple goals at a time, there is a higher probability that you will find them more achievable. Our cognitive resources are limited, after all.

Set smaller goals and check in

It may be easy to pick up bad habits but it requires a lot more effort and time to get rid of them. Concrete steps are the bridge that take you from just thinking about something to doing it. If you want to become more fit, find a workout buddy or rent a locker. If you want to quit smoking, don’t go cold turkey. Start by smoking one less cigarette per day, and gradually wean yourself off.

Hold yourself accountable

Something unique about humans is our ability to self-delude. It is easy to put things off until later and/or become frustrated at the lack of results. You can simultaneously embrace the now with a #yoloswag, #carpediem attitude (I’m sorry everybody), that helps you build towards a better future you.

Share your goals selectively

When you tell someone your goal, you receive social acknowledgment and praise for simply setting a goal. At this point, your mind has already tricked itself into believing that you’ve accomplished something, so you become less likely to work for whatever you were aiming for in the first place.  However, when goals are kept to yourself, there is delayed gratification from when you actually work towards achieving them.