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Don’t Set Dreaded New Year’s Resolutions You Probably Won’t Keep This Year

Try this gentler and more effective approach instead

Allison Burney
5 min readNov 8, 2021
Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

I learned the difference between intentions and resolutions in a meditation session, of all places.

Odd, I know, but it did get me thinking about how I want to approach my goals going forward.

Another year is quickly coming to a close, and this is typically the time when people start to think about what resolutions they want to set for the New Year. Most of us base these resolutions on bad habits we currently have that we want to break or areas of our lives that we feel we’re falling short in and want to change.

For example, if I were to set resolutions for 2022, some of mine would be to drink more water, get in shape, get more sleep, and take better care of my health in general. Some personal goals would be to read more and do more writing next year.

The problem with setting them up this way is that they’re too general. The goal-setting experts tell us that general goals are no good, because there’s no motivation behind them. None of them are time-bound or quantifiable, so how will you know if you’ve met your goal?

What does “more” mean, anyway?

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Allison Burney
Allison Burney

Written by Allison Burney

Writer, ghostwriter & proofreader. On a mission to keep exploring, learning & enjoying this adventure we call life. Work with me: allisonburney.com

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