NEW YEAR RESOLUTION

New Year’s Resolutions are so cliche. Time is nothing but a social construct and January 1st was just Monday. Get over yourselves yawl. That goal you have written down, you won't do it.  

Welcome to Aima’s Writing. If you agree with that introduction, then this article is definitely for you. And if you don’t agree, do not be deceived. I vehemently believe that NYRs are necessary and achievable. But, I also understand why people are apathetic toward it.

Year in, and year out, we see people make resolutions that they never live by, we see them set goals that they never achieve, and we see the motivational wave of the new year fizzle out for lack of discipline.

Regardless, I am here to tell YOU that your New Year’s resolutions were part of the problem. The concept itself as a standalone is flawless.

A simple analogy to back up that audacious conclusion is flights. Regardless of the number of times a passenger takes a flight, he must always know the departure time, to avoid missing his flight.

He must know his destination to know whether he is on the right plane or not. Lastly, he must know the proposed arrival time. The flight needs to come to an end and that traveler needs to have an expectation of the duration.

Similarly, life is a journey and the new year is a new flight. That you had New Year resolutions last year should not stop you from having one this year - whether or not you achieved them.

At the end of this read, you’ll know the PERFECT way to set your 2024 New Year Resolutions. Relax, I’m not here to plagiarize or regurgitate the evergreen S.M.A.R.T method. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. So, let the magic show begin.

I need a volunteer from the audience.

Ooh perfecto, the person reading this has volunteered to be my assistant.

I need you to do something very quickly. Grab a notepad or a journal. Whichever works for you. I’ll wait.  

(I won’t, you might want to pause the audio.)

Welcome back.

I know you did not do that, so let’s try again.

Grab a notepad or a journal.

*clears throat*

Ladies and gentlemen, our first act for the evening is PROJECTING.

Now, I need our volunteer to put on the 2024 binoculars on the table over there.

Beautiful.

Now, I need you to look into them. Look as far and as deep as possible, and then write down what you see yourself achieving at the end of 2024.

While you do that, let me guide you through. As you look into those lenses, you must factor in your physical LOCATION regardless of the kind of goals. (financial, housing, academic, mental, or career). Some of your goals will change as your location changes. Some others will be counter-productive in your current location.

Where will you most likely be in every month of the year? That should help you know what goals will be best for what month.  

And just like that, it is time for our second act.

This act, my stellar audience is the main event of the evening.

It is a hat trick fondly called PLAN time.

I think we should give our volunteer a name. Hmmm, let’s see. I’ll call you Aimazon.

Dear Aimazon, I need you to be very relaxed for this next trick. Take a deep breath and listen to the sound of my voice. The fact that you did not start preparing for 2024 in 2023 does not mean you can’t be prepared. Worst case scenario, if you follow through with everything in this article, January alone will be the sacrificial lamb. So, take a breather. We will plan your New Year’s resolutions together.

Are you ready for the act? Let’s go.

For this trick, I need you to write the word  “YEARLY” as boldly as you can in your journal. After which I want you to rewrite those goals you saw through those binoculars. Yes, write them again. 

After that, flip the page, and break them down into “MONTHLY” goals.

I know you think otherwise, but, I am pretty sure you haven’t seen this trick before.

Let me show you why.

1.  Peruse through the yearly list and from that list, write down what should be done in January alone. Repeat the process through to December.

Take a minute to look through those monthly lists and you definitely have at least one resolution that is repeated every month.

ABRACADABRA.

Highlight those repeated resolutions and you have your top goals for the year.

2.  This is a new trick because I bet you did not know that it helps when you use numerals for your yearly goals and titles monthly.

Here’s a sample.

Doing the above helps eliminate unrealistic goals. Again, I’m not asking you to be under-ambitious. Personally, I have set what some would call a delulu list. Find attached.

But the point is you can be ambitious and realistic.

3. For every month, except January, do not divide those goals any further. You’re not in a trance, you read that right. Do not break those goals into quarterly, weekly, or daily. It’s not time for that.

Quarterly goals mask monthly goals and present the illusion of time. You set a goal for the first quarter of the year. January ends, February ends, and you’re still relaxed because we’re still in the first quarter. Don’t get me wrong, I do in fact have “quarterly goals”, I mean what’s a magic show without illusions?

But, I do not have them registered as quarterly goals, I have it streamlined to the month I want them done. A magician never reveals his tricks but I’ll show you.

Instead of letting the three goals below fall under Q1, Q2, and Q3,

I have them like this;

Come closer, the trick is this. Don’t try to draw your monthly resolutions from your quarterly resolutions, eradicate the middle man. Coin your monthly goals from your yearly goals, and your quarterly goals will hit you in the face.

I know some of you are still wobbly so let’s have the last act - EXECUTION.

Hopefully, this ties all of the tricks together.

In this final act, somebody is going to die.

Where’s our volunteer?

Dear Aimazon, this is the part where I kill your mindlessness, not you.

There are a million and one reasons why New Year resolutions are never completed. But at the start of this show, I promised to give you a good run for your money. So, I’m not going to bore you with information you already have.

Experientially, I’ve come to realize that top of that list is mindlessness. A lot of us set goals that we don’t even remember. While this is not always the case, it’s a leading cause. So, to help you execute your plans, I’ll say it again. Except for January, do not break those New Year’s resolutions into weekly or daily goals. It is not feasible. It is not practicable. Those binoculars cannot see as far as 365 days. Yearly and monthly suffice for now. 

At the start of each month, break them into weekly goals. Then, at the start of each week, further divide them into daily goals. It would help to create a content calendar so you're certain of the exact day you want the goals done. This way you have a pivotal focus all year round.  

As a bonus trick, there will be a magic appearance in your emails every month. Not the regulars, a new strain. Get ready to receive your monthly review newsletters.

If nothing, by helping you ensure you remember your goals, I’m setting you up to succeed this year. So, subscribe and don’t hesitate to write to us if you need navigation.

Remember this is the 2024 show, and the act is projecting, planning, and executing.

Nothing in this article will replace hard work and discipline. And, there will always be things we can’t control but be a prepared traveler. It has been previously said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step, but I need you to know that you can’t calculate distance if the destination is unknown. Pack your suitcases with conventional and unconventional resolutions, know your destination, get on your flight, and trust God who is the best Pilot to handle any turbulence on the way.

Happy New Year, dearest reader. THIS IS YOUR YEAR. No fear is allowed.

Finally,  before I put on the pen cap, thank you for sticking with us so far.  Trust me, now is the best time to be an Aimazon. 2024, we are in for a ride together. In this article, I hinted more than I expected to. I don’t regret it cos now I have no choice but to deliver. Set those goals and I wish you a beautiful year ahead. I'll see you in your emails for our January review. Byeeeee.