NEW YEAR, NEW RESOLUTIONS. DO THEY WORK?

	Let me just start this post by wishing all Steemit users and followers a LATE very Happy New Year! May 2019 be YOUR year! Your year to improve one’s self, to earn more, to achieve more and to love more too!

INTRODUCTION

	Why am I late with my New Year’s wish and post you may ask? New Year’s was about two weeks ago! Well, let’s just say “to procrastinate less” is MY new year’s resolution!

So, back to the topic at hand. We’ve all heard the same old mantra before that roughly goes “new year, new me” or something similar along the lines. A brand new year to “renew” oneself, to “reevaluate” one’s life choices, goals, and etc. With a simple Google search, you’ll find tons of online articles that offer solutions on how to achieve or rather, “maintain” your resolutions for the new year ahead.

AM I MISSING SOMETHING?

With all those resources at one’s finger tips though, I’m curious to know if they actually do work? How many of us can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that “yes! I did keep my resolutions, and I did follow through on them”. Not many I think, myself included of course. Why is this however? Why aren’t we able to keep our resolutions, though we tell ourselves that we can and we will! Hell, even those online articles are telling you that “you can and you will!”

Maybe I’m missing something? Maybe I’ve been doing it wrong? If anyone has any positive experience on keeping their resolutions and following through on it, please do share in the comments below. Im curious to know!

MOTIVATION

	In my humble opinion, I don’t think making and keeping new year’s resolution work mainly because it happens due to “extrinsic motivation” as oppose to it being an “intrinsic motivation” instead.

An extrinsic motivation is basically a motivation that is mainly driven by external rewards such as money, fame or one’s psychical appearance to name a few. Example: trying to achieve a certain goal based on the fact that the end goal would bring you more money or more fame.

Now, in the long run, we are bound to “burn out” as all these are not ‘real’ values that would bring us true happiness would it? And after awhile, you just stop doing it.

Now, maybe if we tried to achieve these resolutions or goals based on an “intrinsic motivation”, it might just work instead. Why? An intrinsic motivation is based on a motivation that derives from the individual itself. Doing something out of internal passion or desire for instance, without thinking of the “reward” at the very end of it. The reward is the fact that you are enjoying “reading that book for the storytelling part of it, or working out because you enjoy working out and you know that it is good for your overall mental and psychical health and not just to look good”.

MY OWN TWO CENTS

I’m in no way an expert in psychology, I’m just trying to share my two cents worth regarding this topic as the new year just rolled around the corner. And I think intrinsic and extrinsic motivations are so fascinating as we can apply this type of “motivation” to almost everything we do in our daily life.

At the end of the day though, regardless of the type of motivation is used to achieve your goal, we can always try to better ourselves in on way or another. To achieve more, to do more, to love more. And in my personal opinion, I don’t think we need 365 days as an EXACT measure. Start with micro goals and resolutions, and slowly work your way up to macro goals. Another sure fire way to at least achieve something you’ve written on your list.

RESOLUTIONS, GOALS or TARGETS?

(pic source: http://teaching.monster.com)	And I would like to ask each one of you one final question. What does work for you and how do you personally understand the meaning of those 3 words?

Based on my current life experience and observations I would say that the majority of people are sticking to resolutions and almost automatically they treat them as "wishes".

I strongly believe that setting up goals and targets is more efficient. What would be your opinion on that issue? I would seriously love to know how other people function, what motivates them and if they focus on following their resolutions or setting up goals and targets?

Please do share your thoughts with me. Would love to know what you think about this topic :)

I read and reply to ALL comments. Always.

Yours
Piotr