Dear reader and young leader,
We have some surprising news: three weeks of 2024 have already passed!

Crazy, isn’t it? Where did the time go? And here’s something even crazier.

According to Time Magazine, 8 out of 10 people have already failed to keep up with their New Year’s resolutions by this date. Uh-oh.

However, we view fulfilling your resolutions as a form of practicing self-leadership. Therefore, we have compiled a list of tweaks you can make to your resolutions so that you become one of the 10% who successfully complete their resolutions by the end of 2024.

How to tweak resolutions for better outcome

Have you ever considered writing your goals more value-driven?

In other words, write them based on your own values. Ultimately, values are how we live life daily. They are our moral compass when navigating the best and the worst that life throws at us.

It can help you achieve your goals since the values offer a strong foundation.

Here are some examples of how to tweak your resolutions to be more value-driven:

Opt for sustainability.

What does this mean? Sustainability can be practical in many areas. We all were hit by financial insecurities these past years.

Having your resolutions be sustainable means deciding on goals that will not impact you financially in a negative way. Whatever you thought of doing this year to ensure your piggy bank remains intact.

It can also mean cutting down on unnecessary items, mainly made from hard-to-recycle material.

But it can also mean deciding on goals to bring long-lasting impact. Instead of saying you cut down on an unhealthy habit and limit it for the end of the year. You should reduce the habit so you have more energy for the things you enjoy. Or to be around the people you love for longer.

Whatever it is, look at the domino effect of your goal.

Diversify for balance.

For this year (and the upcoming ones) to be as fulfilling as possible, diversifying your goals is a great way to start.

It means experimenting with setting goals in different areas, from financial, social, and mental to more extensive and smaller goals. This way, you keep yourself entertained, and achieving a smaller goal now and then will boost your motivation.

Enjoy doing them.

What’s the point of deciding on goals when you dread even getting started? Not only should the goals give you a feel-good about them, but they should also be made to have fun along the way.

Involve your friends in the process. See who achieves more.

And why not? Use streaks like in Duolingo—no need for fancy tech to create your streak board. Pen and paper will suffice. And make sure it’s always visible to you.

Check the box each time you do a task that brings you closer to finalizing your goal.

Make them actionable and impactful.

However you want to structure your resolutions, remember what is best for you and the community around you. Your resolutions can extend beyond personal growth and positively impact the communities around you and the collective well-being.

You can decide to dedicate your time to local organizations or community engagement practices.

By aligning your goals with local impact, you can create a ripple effect and activate leadership in many others around you to do the same. You have the ability to create a sense of unity and responsibility within the community.

Choose flexibility

You have the right to change your goals. Yes, you read that correctly.

With time, you get to understand what works and what doesn’t work for you. Instead of continuing with the same goal and plan in mind, it is of greater help to sit down and review your initial resolution.

Review if your approach so far has been lucrative. Are there some behaviors that need to change for better results? Are you on track to achieve everything you want? Does the frequency need to change?

And many other questions that help you assess your current state and further improve.

Avoid cheating

Lastly, don’t cheat. With cheating, we don’t mean not to be able to take a break. A year is long. Unexpected things will occur. And at times, you just won’t feel like getting up. All that is fine.

What we mean by no cheating is to be honest with yourself and the resolutions. Choose them because it is something you mean to change about you or your life, and not because it is currently trending.
                                                                                                      .          .        .

At the beginning of this blog, we told you that three weeks have passed. But that also means that 344 days are still available for you to make a change.

If you haven’t decided on your New Year’s resolutions, even if the New Year passed, you can still do it, even today. Change doesn’t come with a start or finish line.

And if you have your resolutions ready, you can tweak them by making them sustainable, diverse, actionable, flexible, enjoyable, and honest to yourself, pretty much like our organization’s values.

Remember to come back at the end of the year to let us know how you achieved your New Year’s resolutions!