Milestones are markers on the road that tell you how far you’ve come. The stones indicate how far you are from a city or landmark and often help position yourself in the world. This type of milestone has been used for a long time, for building roads and marking paths, but we also know them to be used to mark life events.
That’s really what new year resolutions are: milestone moments.
As 2021 starts, we have all begun to put down our “stones” to help judge and mark how far we’ve come and how far we have yet to go. Creating new resolutions helps solidify the goals we have and offer them a kind of gravity or sturdiness, whether that be a fitness goal, career plan or personal growth.
New resolutions are often, however, hard to keep. It’s why so many researchers examine the link between New Year's resolutions and our behaviour, examining why people choose to make a “fresh start” and how we might be able to make a successful new year’s resolution.
A recently published peer-reviewed study on the topic had some interesting points about how we might reach our new goals. One tip is that rephrasing your resolution as a positive, rather than a negative, can help. In other words:
I will start _______ vs. I will stop ___________
A six-month study tracked those who created a resolution and those who didn't, both equally motivated to reform their habits. The study found that 42 percent of those with resolutions changed their behaviour, while just 4 percent of those without resolutions changed their behaviour.
In general, resolutions can be categorized into two types. One is those resolutions where we try to avoid something, like cutting out sugar or toxic friends. The other resolution type is those in which we try to start something new, like learning to swim or following Covergalls’ new blog. Starting a new goal tends to be easier than quitting, especially when it’s a bad habit. So when you are coming up with your goals for this year remember that how you frame your goal is key.
Another tip is find some support. Several studies have shown that social support can help with successful behavioural change. If you can, find a little bit of help from a friend, colleague or family member that can help you with your goal.
The team here at Covergalls are all working on our own resolutions too. The goals that we have set this year to help grow our products are underway already. As the year unfolds we hope that we can share with you our milestones and the steps we are taking to becoming a place that women can go to for work gear needed in the industry.
We hope that everyone takes this chance to come up with their own resolutions and share them with us. What tips and tricks have you found worked? What milestones do you wish to set and reach?
The last year was rough, but with a new marker put in place who is to say where the road leads!
Looking forward to the new year!