Five Alternatives to New Year’s Resolutions

New Year's resolutions can be intimidating and are not always a good idea because people tend to set goals that evoke negative emotions about themselves. While it may seem motivating at first, it can create feelings of depression and anxiety that seldom results in long-term motivation. So, instead of a New Year's resolution, let's look at other ways to improve during the year without feeling down.

One-Hit Wonder Goals

One-hit-wonder goals are "one-and-done" goals. One writer on GeekMom.com said they did this because it made more sense for them. Sticking to one year-long goal intimidated them, so they never followed through because they were afraid to fail. So now, they pick a set number of things they want to do during the year and check them off as they go. A few things they decided to try to include learning to say "hi" in five languages, taking their lunch to work for a week, and having a family movie night.

30-Day Challenge

Challenge yourself to something new each month. The challenge can be as fundamental as reading a book you've been putting off or as complex as training for a marathon. Whatever it is, make it something you want to do and not feel you have to do. Some examples include: 30-day declutter challenge, creating a passive source of income in 30-days, and a 30-day yoga challenge. DaringToLiveFully.com has some great recommendations to get you started.

Make A Vision Board

Where do you see yourself at the end of the coming year? Is there anything you'd like to accomplish? Consider putting it on a vision board to help you stay focused. You can do it with clippings from magazines, images you've found on the internet, or words that inspire you. Make it physical or digital and carry it with you on your phone. The possibilities are only as endless as your imagination.

Pick A Word Of The Week/Month/Year

Word of the year is prominent in the journal/planning circles. You pick a word that resonates with you and focuses on doing something related each month. You can break this down into one word for the year or change it each week or month. There are a ton of resources online that can help you pick your word, do a quick Google search of "pick my word of the year" to find them.

Consider Doing A 365-day Project.

A 365-day project is something you do every day for the year. These tend to be more successful if you do something that only takes a few minutes. Examples include:

• Reading a cert number of pages each day.
• Spending 10 minutes in Duolingo learning a new language.
• Taking a selfie each day.
• Waking up at the same time each day.
• Reading a short story every day.

No matter how you tackle your goals this coming year, the important thing is to remember why you're doing it and make sure it's for the right reasons. Positive motivation will get you farther than guilt and negativity.