As we head into a new year, so much pressure surrounds the concept of setting new goals for a successful year. While it’s so important to have this mindset of finding ways to improve, not everything needs to drastically change. Setting these goals should mean finding ways to elevate your current way of life with a few positive habits that can make a big impact. Additionally, looking at “new year’s resolutions” also means evaluating what was successful this year: finding the habits that worked well and can’t be left behind in the coming year. While setting goals that hopefully become habits can feel overwhelming, there are so many good habits to implement and tools that help make these aspirations feel within reach.

Centering Your Goals Around YOU: This one can feel especially hard during the few weeks of transitioning from December to January, when everyone assesses what habits to take into the new year. When it feels like the whole world is looking for ways to revamp their lives entirely, it’s important to take a moment to remember that other people’s aspirations and focuses don’t have to match yours. Personally, I often get caught up in what my family and friends are setting as their resolutions, and sometimes even claim a few as my own. Although some goals can be universal and good to remember as you approach the coming year, it’s also okay to let your goals differ from those of your siblings or classmates. On a broader scale, allowing your life to move at a pace that might be different from that of those around you acts as a greater habit. Everyone works towards different goals, and people’s lives aren’t going to look the same. Remembering to focus on your path and not find envy or comparison in your view of someone else’s is a crucial habit to bring into the new year.

Sunday Reset: While this goal can entail a lot of work, it can also be as simple as you want it to be. The idea of a “Sunday Reset” at the end of each weekend means setting yourself up for a good week ahead, however that looks for you. Whether it includes cleaning your space to feel fresh approaching the new week, packing up your backpack so that you don’t have to stress in the morning, trying a new face mask, or even going to bed thirty minutes earlier than you normally would, giving yourself a small window on your busy Sunday evening to reset and feel calm and collected going into another week is a small habit that can change the course of your week entirely.

One kind thing a day: I know that whenever somebody does something nice for me, it can change the course of my day entirely. Whether it helps me conventionally or just brightens my mood, it feels so good to have someone do something kind. Doing a nice thing for someone is just as easy as receiving a kind gesture, and it can really change someone’s day for the better. This can be a small thing like complimenting your friend’s new hairstyle, or something slightly bigger like helping your parents clean your house or helping to pick up groceries: no matter what it may be, these small favors for others help improve everyone’s life, so if we all make an effort to create this positive impact daily, not only will it make you feel good but also improve the days of the people around you!

How to keep positive habits- The two-week rule: Everyone knows it can be incredibly challenging to start a new positive habit or maintain a current one. When I feel this becoming a challenge, I remember one nearly fool-proof way to turn a positive practice into a habit: If you discover something you want to implement into your everyday life without quitting, commit to doing it for just two weeks. Giving yourself this small time frame helps trick your mind into feeling that instilling this practice as a habit is all the more attainable. Anyone can do anything for just two weeks. As you near the end of these fourteen days that you’ve constantly stuck with an aspect of your routine, your body can then start to forget what life was like without it and allow you to continue practicing it as a habit. It will feel so natural to do whatever this thing may be that you most likely won’t return to life without it. Committing to something you hope to form into a habit for only two weeks will make adding it into your long-term life feel all the more attainable!

Going into a new year means finding goals that are accessible and necessary for your life, which should feel like an exciting activity. Do not forget to ease the pressure surrounding goals and see things that feel right for you and your life. This can mean spending a few extra moments on self-care before you start your week, holding the door open for a stranger, or anything else that feels right for you! To best implement any goal, commit to doing it for at least two weeks to solidify it as a habit. A new year is an exciting time to revamp your life with amazing new habits. Let’s accomplish lots!