Setting Personal Growth Resolutions for the New Year 

With the new year upon us, many people are probably starting to consider their New Year’s resolutions. If this is something you are planning to do for the new year, you may want to put most of your focus on personal growth resolutions. 

Personal growth resolutions are the most common types of goals people have as they encompass many different areas. You may have the goal of reducing your anxiety, going to therapy, or getting better control of your eating disorder. No matter what your personal growth resolutions are, you need to create these goals the right way if you want to achieve success. 

Too many resolutions end up falling between the cracks each year if they aren’t executed properly or taken seriously. So, keep reading to find out how you can create actionable personal growth resolutions that you can actually achieve. 

How to Create Personal Growth Resolutions 

It isn’t enough to simply sit down and create resolutions that you want to achieve for the new year. If it was that simple, everyone would achieve their goals. The first step you need to take when creating resolutions is planning what you want to achieve for the year so that you know where to begin. Here are some ways you can plan your personal growth resolutions so that you stick to them. 

Write Them Down 

Some people go into the new year with a mental list of resolutions that they want to achieve. The reality is that this is not going to work since you may forget what your resolutions were, or you may not take them as seriously as you would if you wrote them down. Writing something down makes you take it more seriously and metaphorically sets it in stone. 

Writing down your resolutions also helps you to thoroughly plan what you want to achieve for the new year. You will put more thought into these resolutions and can create a list that reflects your goals as well as what you can realistically achieve. Having a physical list of goals also helps you to track your progress and check off goals throughout the year, which can help to motivate you. 

Be Specific 

Another common reason why people fail to achieve their New Year’s resolutions is because they aren’t specific enough. For instance, you don’t want to have the goal of taking more time to care for yourself. This is too broad of a goal, making it difficult to achieve since there is no definitive place to start. 

Instead, you would need to make smaller more specific goals, such as taking time to have a nighttime routine. Or you may want to have a day where you pamper yourself so that you feel recharged for the rest of the week. 

Create Categories 

No matter what kind of personal growth resolutions you have, they most likely fall into specific categories. Creating categories for your resolutions makes them easier to follow and can help you keep track of what you want to achieve instead of losing focus or becoming overwhelmed. For instance, you may have categories such as work, personal life, mental health, and physical health.  

Why New Year’s Resolutions Are Important 

As popular as New Year’s resolutions are, some people are against the idea of setting goals for the new year. It may seem like a pointless task since so many people make goals only to promptly forget about them within a few months. However, the principle of setting resolutions for the new year can be very beneficial and is worth trying out. 

The reality is that you are not going to hit a target if you do not know what target you are trying to hit. This is to say that you won’t achieve your goals if you don’t take the time to even set any. Resolutions provide a target that allows you to know what direction you want the new year to take. 

Resolutions are especially beneficial for personal growth since you have taken the time to figure out what you want to achieve in the new year. Maybe you want to finally get rid of some bad habits that have been holding you back. Or you may want to get sober or start to tackle certain mental health issues head-on.  

How to Take Your 2024 Resolutions Seriously 

Planning out your New Year’s resolutions is the first step, but it is not enough if you want to actually achieve them. Many people take the time to do this step but end up forgetting about their resolutions within a month or two. Here are some tips that can help you take your New Year’s resolutions seriously so that you can actually see results. 

Create Actionable Steps 

Many personal growth resolutions are quite large, making it difficult to know how to approach them. That is why you should create actionable steps for each resolution so that you have a place to start. For example, maybe you want to reduce your stress and anxiety; if that is the case, an actionable step would be to identify your triggers. 

Ideally, you should try to create several actionable steps for every resolution that leads you closer to your final target. Not only does this give you a place to start, but it gives you visual milestones that can motivate you and help you to feel accomplished throughout the year. One tip to keep in mind is to create a variety of easier and harder steps so that you do not lose momentum. 

Make Them Attainable 

Another reason why many people tend to abandon their resolutions a few months into the new year is because they are not realistic. It is easy to confuse goals with dreams, but your goals need to be realistic and attainable for that year. If your resolutions aren’t realistic, you are not going to take them seriously since you don’t believe you can achieve them. 

For much bigger goals, you may want to take the time to create a plan that encompasses several years. An example of this is having a five-year plan that documents what you want to achieve over the course of five years. This can help you create a more realistic list of resolutions that help you get to your main goal. 

Check in With Your Goals 

Personal growth is something that happens slowly over a long period of time, and you have to keep up with it. If you have personal growth resolutions for the new year, you need to make sure these resolutions are fresh in your mind at all times. That is why you should check in with your goals on a routine basis to see if you have made any progress. 

You can take this time to check off milestones you have achieved and celebrate any progress you have made. You may even want to alter some of your resolutions depending on whether your goals have changed over the past few months. 

Looking at a long list of personal growth resolutions can feel overwhelming, but there are many ways you can break this down into actionable steps. With a little forethought and dedication, just about any New Year’s resolution is possible if you are willing to commit.