New Year with Resolutions, Should we even have them?

Many people see the new year as a way to make those big changes in life that they didn’t commit to before, and even while this is actually a good time to make changes (studies have found that New Year’s resolutions have 10x better chances of sticking rather than those who are made in other times of the year) It’s still important to think of them more in terms of new habits then actual goals, mainly during these uncertain pandemic times.

Some people actually use resolutions as an excuse to go wild before the end of the year which makes sticking to these new goals a whole lot harder than they should be in the first couple of days or weeks of the year. Quitting smoking, losing weight, or changing diets; is a lot more difficult when you were just smoking your lungs out, or eating medium to big sized meals 3, 4, or even 5 times a day just a couple of days ago. Make those resolutions real, also considering that we’re still on a pandemic with a whole lot of time left in it so planning on big changes or trips, is most likely not very reasonable.

Also, many people who don’t agree with New Year’s Resolutions have a good way of making changes without the self-imposed judgment that we all go through during these times. I think that many of the reasons that resolutions don’t come true, is because of three factors: one, like I mentioned before, is that most of them are just an excuse to go wild with bad habits before the year’s end; two because resolutions are usually charged with self-criticism rather than us trying to better our lives, and the third reason is that a lot of these goals are considered endpoints rather than life-long habits that improve our way of life. This means that most people don’t usually realize that changing something in your life shouldn’t be a destination, but rather a change for life-long habits that bring great benefits to your quality of life: this is why I believe that rather than having resolutions, we should pursue changes that help us make progress rather than achieve perfection.

So, no resolutions?

Not at all! You should commit to making your life better but in doing changes tied to improving your life rather than specifics. It’s better to aim for ‘have better-eating habits’ rather than ‘drop 200 pounds’ This way, you eliminate the self-criticisms and pressure of getting to a specific number, but rather commit to making better choices on your daily eating habits which, in turn, will help you drop weight and/or feel more energized, and in better shape (whichever your motivation is)

Some people talk about choosing one or multiple words that will define your life in the upcoming year. I like this idea, and therefore I choose ‘resilience’ as the word that will govern my 2021 state of mind. But why ‘resilience’ because due to the pandemic, with my team we have been forced to step out of our comfort zones and come up with new ideas to keep our students active and engaged. In 2020, we have implemented the BRICKSandCODE.com initiative to transfer some of our LEGO programs to online environments, as well as implementing a new set of CODING activities through our other brand TeKniK LABS.

This year continues to be a time of change, and even if planning is still difficult, I strongly believe that difficult times bring the best of us and teach us much more on both a personal and professional level.

What will your word (or words) be for 2021? Comment below, Thank you!