We all have great intentions when we set our New Year’s Resolutions, but how often do we accomplish them? Do the goals that guided your decisions in January still impact your life come March or April? How can we escape the cycle of making and abandoning our goals? Today we will look at how goals guided by core values are more likely to be kept.
Name Your Values
Decisions we make often come down to what we value. Choosing to pay an upcharge for whipped cream at a café might come down to whether you value economy or luxury (or whether you are lactose intolerant). Even when we’re not conscious of it, our decisions are guided by our values. Therefore, naming your values can help lead your decision or goal-making process.
Additionally, knowing that your goal is guided by your core values will give you a greater perspective. Too often we lose sight of what our resolutions are all about. But naming your values can help give you a vision of what you’re working towards. That leads us to the next point:
Aim in the Right Direction
It can be tempting when making resolutions to look at your life right now and think “What’s wrong, and what do I want to change?” But that’s just using a short-term gaze. Instead, a better question to ask yourself is “What kind of person do I want to be?” and then make resolutions that help you get closer to that reality.
In other words, let your goals be guided by a Transcendent There rather than what seems urgent in the moment. It’s all too easy to get caught in the cycle of putting out fires. We let ourselves be governed by the immediate instead of looking ahead to our future and taking small steps every day to get There.
Escape the cycle of making and abandoning resolutions by naming your values and aiming in the right direction. Keep the big picture in mind to guide you throughout the year.
Gracie McBride is the Content and Systems Development Coordinator at The Crossroad.
