Good 2022 to you!
I don't know about you, but I have set New Year's resolutions for as long as I can remember. Actually, in Sunday School class this morning, I told a high schooler that I couldn't pinpoint when I started. He said he doesn't make any and I asked why. He said most people don't keep them from what he understands.
As a psychology professor, I actually teach about the best ways to create goals and types of goals. So, if you're game, here we go:
1) Be specific. The best goals have exact rather than vague goals. We all know it's better to say, lost five pounds rather than merely lose weight.
2) Approach rather than avoidance goals. So, actually, rather than say, cut out sugar, it's better to make a goal of eat five servings of vegetables a day. We humans have a hard time of doing without and are much happier to do.
3) Under your control, rather than someone else's control. For example, I can't control whether an agent accepts me as a client, but I can control my submitting to an agent.
4) Have a time frame. For example, I will do complete a manuscript by June 30, 2022 rather than I will write a book this year. I have been known to hurry up just to meet that (self-imposed) deadline rather than miss meeting a goal.
5) Make the goal doable; if it's something you can't possibly do given your abilities and circumstances, you will just give up. And that doesn't help anything. We want to feel great about our accomplishments!
At the same time, while setting resolutions and reaching goals can be important, contentment with who we are in relation to who we are in God is, in the end, most crucial.
Psalm 100:3 Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his,
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
By the way, yes, I will be sharing my resolutions below...and you?
PS Extra tip: I also set different categories so I'm not too single-minded. :)