“The best New Year’s resolutions are the ones that actually improve the quality of your life. The ones that you actually make time for. The ones that you start to act on, see how they’re benefitting you, and continue to improve on“, Says Hirav Shah, Thought Guru, Strategist, Adviser and Business Astrologer.
Shah Opines, “New Year’s resolution is the pledge or promise we make to ourselves. These resolutions can be anything from achieving a fitness goal to learning a skill or just being thankful for little things in life. After the unpredictable, torrid year we’ve had, the idea of making New Year’s resolutions for 2024 might seem a tad overwhelming.”
But have you wondered why resolutions fail?
Why don’t we meet them?
Why don’t we carry them on !
Hirav Shah pens down invaluable ways here, “to make resolutions work” for us !!
Table of Contents
#1. Make it a habit
Most of us are creatures of habit, and tend to do things on autopilot.
Conventional wisdom is that it takes about 21 days to make a habit. So for the first few weeks you’ll have to try really hard to make your resolution work. But after that, your resolution should become habit. It will become automatic and you won’t think too much about it.
#2. Just start
Break your resolution into small parts. And start with the smallest and easiest step. Once you start doing something, it is so much easier to keep going.
Capitalize on the law of Inertia. If you want to start going to the gym in the mornings, make a resolution to put on your gym clothes and sneakers. Before doing anything else. Including getting that cup of coffee. Once you are in those gym clothes, it becomes easier to go, and you’ll be less likely to flake.
#3. Make doing it easier
Whatever you resolve to do, make it easier. If you resolve to stop watching TV, hide your remote. If you resolve to stop drinking, don’t meet your friends at the bar. Plan ahead. Make breaking the resolution difficult.
Most of the time we do what is easiest and slip back into old habits. So, raise the difficulty needed to do anything that will break your resolution.
We rarely stick to our resolutions. A few weeks of good effort at best, sometimes a miraculous couple of months, and we get back to our old self.
Here are a few dos and don’ts advised by Hirav Shah, if you want to make resolutions that will actually change your life.
Dos and Don’ts
As the new year unfolds, resolutions become a focal point for many, signaling a fresh start and opportunities for personal growth. However, achieving successful resolutions requires a thoughtful approach. In this guide, we’ll explore the do’s and don’ts to ensure your resolutions are not just fleeting aspirations but sustainable paths to personal development.
Don’t #1: Hurrying to Haste
Don’t hurry up and come with the first resolutions that come to your mind – there’s no rush.
Do #1: Measure Twice, Cut Once
Make a proper assessment of your situation. If there is a time when you should take your time, it’s now. Follow the carpenter’s rule: “Measure twice, cut once”. Conduct a proper reflection. What are the goals you have for which you tend to procrastinate? Why is that? What are the values you really believe in? Who do you really want to become?
Don’t #2: Compartmentalized Fixation
Don’t focus on one single area of your life where you want to fix things. Don’t have a compartmented approach to your life.
Do #2: An Integrated Approach
See your life as a whole – everything is interdependent. When you sleep well, you feel happy and refreshed, you’re more efficient at work, you leave the office earlier, you have time to exercise, you then feel good, you sleep well, etc. Goals and activities also compete for the same limited resources: your time, your energy, and your money. An integrated approach is therefore necessary.
Don’t #3: The Overwhelming Checklist
Don’t come with an endless list of 100 goals and start pursuing all of them. This is a recipe for disaster. You will fail, feel demotivated, and fail again. It’s a vicious circle.
Do #3: Selective Focus
Focus! Be selective. Only your most important goals must make it to the list. A solid core of 5 to 10 goals is enough to start with. You can always add later if you feel comfortable and are on track with most of them.
Don’t #4: Static Aspirations
Don’t limit your thinking to end goals only or “BE” goals (e.g., being rich or being fit).
Do #4: Embrace Processes and Products
Think in terms of processes and products. Products are the end results, and processes are what it takes to get there. If you want to become richer, you have to take control of your personal finance, repay your mortgage, and save money every month. If you want to be fit, you have to mind your diet, sleep well, drink a lot of water, exercise a few times a week, plan to run a marathon, etc.
Don’t #5: Once-a-Year Mentality
Don’t think resolutions are a once-a-year type of exercise. If you think so, chances are that you will be in the exact same place next year – yes, the same as last year, that’s the one!
Do #5: Regular Follow-Ups
Follow up regularly on your resolutions. Review them on a weekly basis at least. You must know where you stand at all times. Making successful resolutions is a process, not a one-off event. It’s an iterative process – make yourself accountable.
Don’t #6: Misplaced Notes
Don’t write your resolution on a piece of paper. You’ll lose it again.
Do #6: Go Digital
Get a proper tool and methodology to set, review, and manage your goals. Go digital, your goals need to be accessible, all in one place, editable at any time and your progress against them needs to be easily measurable.
Conclusion
“Resolution— Its Making and Meeting / Achieving” has become imperative, all the more in 2024. And fitting resolutions in your year’s plan of action is extremely vital to a successful 2024
Meanwhile, as per Hirav Shah’s predictions, 2024 will be a year of heavy planetary transition impacting the stars in a more meaningful way. This will have a deep and abiding influence on Astrological Predictions and hence, it is important to plan your actions according to the cosmic movement with respect to your individual sun sign.
While it is difficult to foresee the exact future for each individual or business,
“Today Only ‘Astro-Strategy’ which provides a Strategical, Moral and Astro Strategic support to businesses/people, can increase ‘their productivity’ by 96%,” Concludes Hirav Shah, India’s Leading Astro-Strategist and Business Astrologer.
