The art of keeping your New Year’s resolutions!

Happy New Year to you all!

With the bubbles of champagne, evenings out with friends and the passing of a milestone more symbolic than material, the tendency to take stock and carry out a self-assessment emerges, enabling Man to draw lessons from the past year.

Traditionally, New Year’s Day is a time for highlighting decisive decisions that are supposed to impact our entire personal definition. Known as resolutions, these new lines of development are at the origin of many changes and a certain reorganization of daily life.

Of course, for these resolutions to be effective, they have to be kept, which is rarely the case. Why is this so? No doubt because the choices we make often seem far too lofty and far removed from our day-to-day reality.

We decide, for example, to stop smoking (never easy), to take up sport, to look for a new job or a new partner… all objectives which, by definition, should drive real daily commitment.

Rather than imposing unattainable or overly restrictive challenges on yourself, which would prevent the emergence of a certain degree of personal satisfaction, what I’m proposing today is an overview of the psychological dispositions that encourage the rigorous application of your decisions.

Together, we’ll look at the major areas you want to change, and try to explain how you can actually do it, with the obvious aim of having an even more rewarding year than the last!

1) Achievable personal goals

When it comes to reflecting on the events of the past year and the choices to be made to maximize future experiences, objectivity is often lacking.

This is natural, since resolutions are often made in a festive atmosphere, when the weight of routine is put into perspective.

For example, we say we’ll stop smoking when we light up our last cigarette, without ever thinking about when we’ll see our friends in the evening, at morning coffee or after dinner.

This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to keep our resolutions, but rather that they need to be well thought-out and in line with our potential and desires.

They should not simply be formulated in terms of results, but should take into account the enrichment brought about by experience.

At your level, it’s time to think about the conditions you need to meet to effectively improve certain aspects of your life. Are you desperate to meet “the one”? It won’t happen in the twinkling of an eye. There are many implications.

For example, you’ll need to focus on your studies first, in order to get your diploma, start looking for an internship in advance, decide right now what changes to make to your wardrobe, start reading to strengthen your general knowledge…

… all without losing sight of your main objective: to become more attractive.

A resolution needs to be broken down into tasks you can tackle quickly, to give it depth and a sense of moving in the right direction.

A goal is by definition a time-bound objective. It can’t be achieved in a few days. But the effort and commitment you put into it serve to give it substance and maintain the motivation needed to achieve it.

2) Resolutions set in stone

You’re probably thinking that this first part is somewhat abstract, even confusing for some of you.

Don’t panic, here’s the technical, concrete part that could well help you keep the resolutions that will enable you to make real improvements.

The first thing you need to understand is that we’re talking about important decisions in the context of your personal development, and that these decisions should be treated as priorities.

With this in mind, there’s a very simple way of finding, formulating and keeping such decisive commitments, whatever the area(s) concerned.

As people are never as concerned as when they take action, it’s more than advisable to write down the adoption of a new state of mind and keep it in a visible place.

So, on a sheet of paper or on your computer screen, you’ll need to draw up a relatively simple chart, enabling you to learn from your mistakes and define your areas for improvement.
Nothing too complicated. The main thing is to give reality to your introspection, to see your shortcomings written down in black and white.

The aim here is not to lament or discuss your intrinsic qualities, but simply to understand how you can improve, and to keep this knowledge within you throughout the year, even as you strive to keep your resolutions.

It’s often said that happiness is a choice, and that self-confidence can be cultivated. So why not opt for these practical options?

Is there any better way to gain confidence in your own potential than to know what the flaws are, and how to plug them? That’s the question!

As I said earlier, resolutions are applicable to all areas of your life. As the subject is vast, it will be difficult for me to cover them all.

But we can easily imagine a shy person deciding to get out in the open, or a young man who finds himself unattractive wanting to take charge of his life.

To achieve this, we’ll need to multiply the small exercises, the mini-constraints that will end up making people adopt as a natural reflex, what was still conceived as an unattainable improvement some time before.

For example, the shy person could force himself to say hello to 10 people in the street a day for a week. The following week, he or she will concentrate solely on women.

After that, he or she will add a compliment to the greeting, without obligation (you’ll see that a simple “hello or hi, I just wanted to tell you how lovely you look” before you quietly walk away is no big deal and should earn you a few smiles).

With practice, you’ll be able to build conversations, ask women out and boost your self-esteem.

The same goes for anyone who thinks they’re unattractive.

His/her first reflexes will be to start exercising (1 time a week, then 2, then 3), to pay attention to his/her diet and to redo his/her wardrobe (without forgetting to work on his/her general culture). Being cute is all very well, but intellect often takes over from superficiality).

It’s all a question of willpower and commitment. That’s why your chart (or at least your conclusions) should stay in a visible place, like your fridge door, your desk or on your diary.

If you see your resolutions, the fruit of your own reflection, jumping out at you every day, there’s no doubt that you’ll decide to follow them to the letter, and that you’ll find it much easier to achieve your goals.

In any case, all that’s left for you to do is get to work! As for me, I wish you an excellent year, filled with joy, love and attractive experiences.

Take care of yourself, your friends and your family. They are also the ones who make us strong and, in the long run, can prove to be invaluable allies in promoting our personal improvement and the attainment of all our goals, however varied they may be!