How to make New Year's resolutions long-term goals

Make your New Year’s resolutions long-term goals for added happiness. (Photo Credit: CC BY/Inessa Akhmedova/Wikipedia)

Everyone is thinking about their New Year’s resolutions right now. But you know what that means – a few weeks of discipline and lots of backsliding. If you can adjust your thought process for long-term goals, however, you’re bound to remain happier for much longer. Make your New Year’s resolutions your “New Life” goals – it all starts with a life plan.

New Year’s resolutions for life step 1 – Define your goals

The first thing you need is to know what you want out of life, what your needs and desires are. If you fail to assess these clearly, you’ll relegate yourself to a life of perpetual drift. Do research, be honest and clear-headed about yourself and your abilities and you’ll be able to write down or verbalize your goals. They can be personal or professional goals (or, ideally, both).

New Year’s resolutions for life step 2 – Work hard at research

The research portion of your journey deserves multiple mentions, as it is vitally important. Career, relationships and day-to-day personal life requires some self-reflection and assessment. If you don’t know what you want or what the best path to take will be, you must research the things that seem right, so that you can avoid them in the event that they are wrong for you and your resources.

New Year’s resolutions for life step 3 – Assess your station

Part of the research process is knowing where you are in life. Are you halfway to making your life plan a reality? If so, understand what you’ve done right up to this point, and what it will take to remain on the path. If you haven’t even taken the first step, figure out what it will take to get going and maintain motivation. Assessment is quite valuable when it comes to employability, because it pays to be proactive when it comes to learning new skills that make you even more employable.

New Year’s resolutions for life step 4 – Know what to do next

Research and self-assessment open the path for action. If you don’t act, all that came before is pointless intellectual exercise, rather than purposeful learning. Sometimes, required actions are simple. Other times, it requires a multiyear plan. Use the same kind of approach you’d use when assessing which company you’d like to work for. Research, self-assessment and self-marketing can open doors professionally. The same is true of any life plan or goal you may wish to attain. Do the research, form a life plan and apply yourself on the path toward making your dream a reality.