July is reaching its last days. Soon, kids will be back to school. The local stores already have displayed the best stationery and notepads for the new school year. There is something oddly appealing about school years. They act as a mini new year in the middle of the year. At the end of the summer breaks, students can set new goals to achieve.
While you might have left school a long time ago, you could still seize the opportunity to get your own fresh new start after the summer. No, we don’t mean education. We mean taking the time to review your new year’s resolutions and amend, change, or improve them to make the most of the year. Comes September, and a new you can get ready to take new chances and pursue a new path to happiness.
So what do you say? Are you up for the challenge?
Let’s revisit new year’s resolutions
It’s been 7 months since you took your resolutions. How much of it still holds? Revisiting your 2022 goals can help restore and revise things that didn’t work out as planned.
Start with the beginning. List out what you wanted to achieve this year and what you have done so far to move closer to your goals. Be honest with yourself. There is no point in lying. You might find out that things you believed in at the start of the year have shifted. Perhaps your priorities have changed, and you’ve had to move away from some resolutions, or perhaps you’ve taken the wrong turn and have been inadvertently walking away from your goals.
It is fair to say that resolutions need to be meaningful to your life to be carried out. Why do most people let resolutions fade into oblivion:
- Their resolutions are not relevant anymore
- New events change their priorities, such as COVID-19
- Lack of planning
- Unrealistic goals
- Loss of motivation
So, now’s the right time to review whether the resolutions you took in January are still holding and correct if they are not.
The important question: A better you or a happier you?
What do you want to be? Do you want to improve your skills or appearance, or do you want to be happier? Resolutions should not put you at a crossing road where you need to pick a direction. Resolutions should focus on meeting both objectives: A better and happier you. That is precisely why it is important to know yourself before you make resolutions. More often than not, individuals can get inspired — read influenced — by popular articles and social media trends. As a result, they are more likely to pick resolutions that are not suitable for their personality type and needs.
Therefore, the real question you need to ask yourself is: Who am I? The better you get to know and understand yourself, the better-suited your resolutions will be. Now, getting to know yourself can be achieved in a variety of ways, ranging from taking a masculine and feminine energy test to talking to your therapist.
It’s time to identify your current situation
Let’s make it a summer of self-care. Indeed, summer is the best season to look after yourself as increased direct sunshine can help boost your mood. As a result, you are more likely to make positive lifestyle changes and improve your health — both mental and physical — during the summer season.
Some of the elements you want to focus on this summer include:
- Your health habits
- Your coping mechanisms
- Your social circle and network
- Your career path
- Your bad habits
The reason why you want to do this at least twice a year is that your life situation can change dramatically, depending on:
- External stress factors (work, relationships, etc.)
- Seasonal elements (Seasonal Affective Disorder, allergies, etc.)
- Financial stress (loans, debts, big expenses, etc.)
- Career change, relocation, etc.
- Discovering new interests
You can use this opportunity to identify new objectives and update your resolutions accordingly. More importantly, summer is the best season to make positive changes to your life as your mood is elevated. Therefore, you tend to stick to resolutions better during the sunny season.
Should you get about it by yourself?
Training with a gym buddy can boost your motivation and contribute to sticking to your workout routine.
Learning a new skill with a friend can encourage you to learn better and faster.
So, it would make sense to make new resolutions with a friend. However, it can be a risky decision. If you are easily influenced, you could put yourself at risk of making resolutions that are not relevant to your needs, preferences, or life. Shared resolutions need to be meaningful to you and your friend or partner. To ensure you can find a reliable partner for your resolution, you should spend time getting to know what each other expects from it:
- You have the same goals
- Your situations are similar (for example, if you both want to improve your fitness, you will find it easier to train together if you have similar fitness levels from the start)
- You have access to the same solutions to reach your goals (imagine planning a weight loss journey, but one of you can get liposuction and the other one needs to hit the treadmill)
The last thing you want is to follow a friend’s resolution to be supportive when you don’t identify with their goal. Therefore, while working towards an objective with a friend can be motivating, when it comes to resolutions, you should also put yourself first.
Are you ready to turn the summer into the launching pad for the new and improved you? Now’s the best time to review your new year’s resolutions and address issues, and clear your mind. Are the things you wished to achieve not getting any closer? Perhaps, you should review your plans or set new goals for the time being. The only way to be a better you is by being honest with yourself. Consider what you truly want, how you truly think and behave, and which efforts you are putting into yourself. Remember: Love yourself first so you can be the person who inspires you the most.
