Every year it is always the same – people tend to look inward and focus on what resolutions they can put into place for the coming year. But resolutions are not always a good thing, and oftentimes will be left by the wayside after a few months. If your older kids are interested in setting resolutions themselves, have them consider setting goals instead of resolutions.
Why Not Set Resolutions?
Although setting a few resolutions early on in the year is never a horrible idea, it does come with a few catches. More often than not, we tend to pick resolutions that are either too hard to attain or are simply trying to change something about our habits or ourselves, which is not always the healthiest choice. For example, if you are wanting to lose weight (a big pick for a resolution), you most likely will select either a specific diet or cutting out foods that may be causing you to gain weight. But these fad diets are not always the most healthy, and completely cutting out certain foods cold turkey can make you crave them even more. It can be a recipe for disaster as you tend to cheat out of your diet or start to eat the foods you vowed you would never touch again. These kinds of resolutions make a simple, healthy choice a harder to accomplish task.
Goals Help Keep a Focus
To pick a goal helps to focus your brain on a specific end-point. Resolutions can tend to be a little vague, and sometimes more vain than we intend. If you want to lose weight but know that you will most likely not follow a diet, see about attending a Zumba or dance class instead. This can not only help you lose weight, but also increase your activity levels and build some muscle.
Goals for Your Kids
If your kids are also interested in setting some resolutions, you can help them pick goals instead to help them achieve those goals. Make sure to keep it slightly simple, at least for a goal or two, so as not to set themselves up for feeling overwhelmed. It can even be a combination of smaller and bigger goals, that way they can accomplish a few smaller goals and get better geared up for the larger goals. Your kids will have a great time figuring out what they want to accomplish in 2025, and will feel better about getting them done when they are more goal-orientated!
Katie Kyzivat