ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. -- It is almost time to kiss 2025 goodbye and say hello to 2026.
The new year is right around the corner. This time is commonly spent reflecting on the last year and setting New Year’s resolutions for the coming year. For many, New Year’s resolutions are a way to chart a path toward new habits and away from old ones. Jan. 1 gives people a sense of a “fresh start” or a “new beginning” for the year ahead – a promise of making changes to improve your health or happiness.
Some common resolutions are to get better sleep, exercise more, diet, and quit bad habits, such as drinking or smoking. Nevertheless, setting these goals and following through to achieving them is hard.
Goals are much more attainable, and we are more likely to succeed in them, if we set specific plans for them from the beginning. For example, if we decide we want to exercise more we can make the very specific goal of “I will go to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after work” instead of “I will start going to the gym.” By being more specific and giving yourself a plan from the beginning, you are far more likely to succeed.
“When will I do it?”
“How will I do it?”
“In what context will I ensure it gets done?”
Setting specific plans for a goal is very useful because it helps us know exactly what to do and when. You also need to enjoy the goal and find it important. You’re much more likely to do the things you’re intending to do if you really want to do them, and the way we want to do something is by reminding ourselves why it’s important, rewarding or enjoyable to us.
Set a goal that you are confident you can achieve.
An important tip in setting goals is to pace yourself. There is no need to set 10 New Year’s resolutions. Instead, focus on a few that are most important to you in achieving.
Goals can often conflict or compete with one another. Set up environments where you can focus on one goal without being reminded of or distracted by the other goals you have. Focus on one at a time.
Social media is also a challenge when it comes to achieving your goals. It can make us less able to set reasonable standards for ourselves. It’s so easy to compare yourself to people on social media. They might inspire us to set standards for ourselves that are unreasonably high. It’s essential to set standards that make sense for you. You are the best person to gauge where you need to be, and you need to be thoughtful about what you might reasonably achieve and what may be too much. Also, remembering what might be fulfilling to you is different than that of the influencer you watch.
It is important to set goals for yourself, challenge yourself and give yourself something to look forward to. AEDC Safety encourages you to set a New Year’s resolution this year – something that will improve your health, whether it is mental or physical. Focus on you!
Remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup, so don’t forget to set goals and focus on you in this New Year!