The first day of a new year symbolizes the beginning of a new chapter. It gives us hope and excitement about what we can forge in the next 365 days. Even though our life is a continuous river, we still fancy the idea of a new beginning. 

That’s why we often make our resolutions at the beginning of a year. It’s not hard to make them – to be honest, everyone can dream. But based on research, 43% of new year resolutions fail before February and only 9% of them are achieved in the end. 

As disappointing as it might seem, there are some secrets on how to make and actually achieve your new year resolutions like the 9%. Keep reading.

Secrets for Making New Year Resolutions

1. Have deep motivation for it (aka have a strong “why”)

Make sure you want this goal to happen really bad. And you have deep, healthy, sustainable motivation for it. Maybe this is something you’ve always wanted to achieve for a long time – not a sudden, whimsical thought that would disappear in a week. 

When you have deep, burning desires for something, you are more likely to take all the right actions that would bring you closer to your goal.

2. Set attainable and measurable goals

Set meaningful and challenging goals but also make sure they are attainable and measurable. If they are too difficult or too vague, they will actually deter you from taking actions at all.

For example, a lot of people hope to exercise more in the new year. Instead of setting the goal as “exercising more”, you could write a more specific, attainable and attainable statement such as “I want to go jogging for 3 miles at least 2 times per week.” 

You can certainly do more than your goal but the key is to set a goal that is not too hard for you to achieve. Remember, you are in this for the long haul.

3. Keep the list short

Your New Year resolution list is not your grocery shopping list or daily to-do list. By only keeping 2-3 priorities on your New Year resolution list, you can focus on what really matters. Too many goals will only dilute your attention and jeopardize your chances of success. 

Secrets for Actually Achieving New Year Resolutions

4. Break your resolutions into actionable plans

Now if you have set attainable, measurable goals, this should be relatively easy to do. You could set weekly, monthly and quarterly plans that are actionable. Pick a timeline, frequency and deadline for planning purpose that works best for you. The more detailed your plans are, the easier for you to act and achieve them. 

At the same time, leave room for creativity when planning – there are different ways to achieve the same goal. Keep it fun!

5. Turn your goals into habits

“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”

Borrowing the wisdom from the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, we love this analogy and believe that habits can help set you on an autopilot mode on the journey to achieving your goals. 

For example, if you want to learn a foreign language this year, you could form a habit of learning through a language app in your morning commute or right before you go to bed. Once you create a habit for your goal, it will become easier overtime. 

6. Monthly motivation reboost

Our motivation naturally wanes in the process – that’s why it is important we reflect on why we set the goals in the first place from time to time.

Set a date every month to review and reflect on our priorities. Reboost our motivation by affirming our intention and actions. Reward ourselves when we fulfill our promises!

7. Find a community for support

If you can find a community that helps you achieve your goals, it’s great to have that support system. Surrounding yourself with people with similar goals also pushes you to try harder when you don’t feel like doing much. 

A great community can provide support and supervision at the same time.

8. Always come back after a hiccup

In your journey to realize any long-term goals, there will be obstacles. You might be defeated temporarily or be distracted. But remember to always come back and keep pursuing your goals.

Just as Winston S. Churchill have said, “Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.” Resilience is the way. Just keep going.

Last but not the least, Happy New Year to all the fellow Passionate Investors! Wish you a year of courage, happiness and success!