How to Make New Year’s Resolutions When January Has Already Started

We are a few days into 2024, so someone in your life may be nudging you to catch up and finally create some resolutions for this young year. Well, what if you don’t feel like it? How should you proceed?

New Year’s Resolutions Are Certainly Not Mandatory

Have you noticed that years come and go whether or not we make resolutions? Years even come and go when we don’t complete our resolutions. Perhaps that point is rather liberating. It disconnects any pressure from the resolution scenario, and it gives you the freedom to craft any resolution you wish.

Still, if you would prefer not to bother with resolutions this year, tell whoever is trying to get you to make them that resolutions are not your thing. You’re happy they’re choosing the resolution-making path, but you don’t believe resolutions are intrinsically linked to your happiness in 2024.

On the other hand, you may benefit from planting a few guideposts on this year’s roadmap. If you’re having mixed feelings about committing to resolutions for 2024, let’s talk about it.

Have You Ever Caught Yourself Making a Bigger Deal Out of Something Than Necessary?

Most folks have experienced this phenomenon. You need to do a task. To some extent, you want to do it, too. But something inside of you won’t let you do it.

Often, the force stopping us from moving forward in this type of situation is anchored in doubt. Many of us feel a need to know an outcome before we take action. Unfortunately, we cannot know the future. Sometimes, wishing we could see what’s around the corner can freeze us into taking no action at all.

As a result, our minds can turn minor inconveniences into enormous obstacles. Your resolutions for this year don’t have to be mountains, even if you want to climb a mountain. Setting resolutions is as easy as conquering molehills, friend.

Sometimes, We Need Only to Find a Way to Begin

This might be a worthy skill to add to your personal toolbox in 2024. Try getting started on something that seems daunting when you just don’t think you can. Perhaps the person who wrote this paragraph used that exact tactic.

Here are some additional tips to help you engage this strategy for optimal results this year.

Consider the Difference Between Inertia and Momentum

Right now, you may be sitting still. Your body’s inertia holds you in your seat until you or another body applies force and causes movement and momentum.

Inertia and momentum are present within our minds, too. For example, when we feel mentally stuck, that’s at-rest inertia stopping us. That type of inertia is the reason it’s easier to sit on the couch sometimes than finish an important item on your to-do list.

Typically, getting past such inertia is relatively simple, even if our psyches try to tell us otherwise. We only need to begin:

• Take a step.
• Take the next step.
• Keep going.
• This is momentum.

Though we are a few days into January, you can start easily taking steps right now to quickly jot down a few resolutions that can help you have a happier year.

Let’s Talk About Why New Year’s Resolutions Might Feel Overwhelming to You

Commonly, people aim too high when they set their resolutions as a new January dawns. Their new calendar page features big goals:

• I will become famous this year.
• I will meet the person of my dreams.
• I will fit into my prom outfit again.
• I will become the best professional in my field.
• I will swim across Lake Michigan in January.

Do you notice that the above examples are potentially unattainable and possibly ill-advised? Those are two typical traits of resolutions, and they easily show us why resolutions are usually forgotten before the calendar flips to February.

Here’s a Solution That Takes the Pressure Out of Resolutions

Largely, New Year’s resolutions are problematic because they tend to revolve around goals, and those goals tend to be big. For many, they’re the types of goals we’ve failed at before, but we tell ourselves that the year is new, so we’ll get it right this time. “I’ll lose the weight this time,” we might say.

With that type of setup, we can easily comprehend why traditional resolutions fail.

Alternatively, instead of goals, we can construct resolutions around intentions. Goals are stark. They are lines in sand. When we fall short of them, we ache.

Intentions encourage us. They help us explore our world and feel fulfilled. Through intentions, we can feel more alive.

While standard, goal-based resolutions force you to say, “I will,” intention-based resolutions start with “I intend.”

Now, Try Writing One Intention-Based Resolution for 2024

Clearly, intention-based resolutions are easier to write. We encourage you to write one now, or feel free to borrow from our list:

• I intend to incorporate solemn self-care into each week.
• I intend to play my small part in encouraging peace and equity in our world.
• I intend to help my children explore their interests with rich curiosity.
• I intend to take a long walk daily and forgive myself if I miss a day.
• I intend to eat more kale this year.

If kale is not your thing, substitute another veggie.

If You Need Help Finding a Happier Life in 2024, Talk to Us

As you created your intention for this year, you may have resolved to discover more happiness. At WIN-TMS, we specialize in helping people find greater happiness by addressing their treatment resistant depression. To learn about the popular, modern form of treatment we offer at our three locations around Milwaukee, contact us today.