It's that time again. You've been creating New Year's Resolutions. You've declared that you are going to hit the gym and eat right this year. Or perhaps you are finally going to take the GRE, change your career path or look for love. Instead of moving forward each year insisting that "this year is going to be better," why don't you reflect on the past and consider what resolutions you have succeeded in and why.
How many times in the past did you actually complete a resolution? What was it? Was it realistic or measurable? Did it improve your quality of life or make you a better person?
Perhaps you needed an incentive for sticking to your plan. For example, if you were diagnosed with diabetes in the past year, you now possess a very strong reason to follow dietary restrictions. If you are truly serious about developing healthy habits, you may need to "rewire your brain."
According to
Psychology Today:
"Making resolutions work involves changing behaviors-and in order to change a behavior, you have to change your thinking (or "rewire" your brain.) Brain scientists such as Antonio Damasio, Joseph LeDoux, and psychotherapist Stephen Hayes have discovered, through the use of MRIs, that habitual behavior is created by thinking patterns that create neural pathways and memories, which become the default basis for your behavior when you're faced with a choice or decision. Trying to change that default thinking by "not trying to do it," in effect just strengthens it. Change requires creating new neural pathways from new thinking."
- Why People Can't Keep New Year's Resolutions by Ray Williams
Last year, one of my many New Year's Resolutions was to start a blog. I realize that this goal makes me sound like a simpleton. By blogging, I'm not necessarily fighting habits or addictions that are extremely destructive. I'm not entirely sure if I've had to "rewire my brain." And who is to say that blogging will necessarily make me a better person.
Developing a blog in and of itself is an effortless task, until you decide how ambitious you are. I don't expect to ever make money from my blog, however, I did have the intention of treating this blog as a passion project.
I wanted to make sure my resolution was measurable, therefore I decided that I would post 1-3 times a week unless I was on vacation or there was a zombie apocalypse of sorts. So far I have succeed in accomplishing this relatively small goal.
I chose to blog primarily for myself. It is such a creative release to jot down the thoughts that constantly pollute my head. And of course, I selfishly hope my readers can find
some value in a number of my posts.
Throughout the last few months, I have learned that sometimes smaller tasks (i.e. amateur blogs) can provide you with the confidence to tackle larger projects in your life. Making room for smaller hobbies or objections has allowed me to obtain a realistic outlook on my schedule. More importantly, it has brought me more personal fulfillment because I am not taking on more than what I can handle.
What is
your passion project? What are smaller tasks that have led you towards success or fulfillment in the past year? Until you decide upon a slew of New Year Resolutions for 2015, look back at how you have succeeded with your aspirations in the past year. Give yourself a pat on the back, and then take notes.
