Meryl’s Minute: How to Make 2023 the Best Year Yet

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HOW TO MAKE 2023 THE BEST YEAR YET- Columnist Meryl Turner shares her input on how to make 2023 a successful year!

Meryl Turner, Columnist

Happy new year everyone! I have created a strategy to make 2023 far more enjoyable and productive than any other year. No, it’s not by making a New Year’s resolution. The whole idea of New Year’s resolutions seem great in the grand scheme of things, but in reality, they will likely be a road to indifference in your life. There are multiple reasons why resolutions aren’t efficient.

They are too broad:

If your goal is something like, “Lose weight,” or “Save more money” then you aren’t reaching your full potential. We need to stop thinking about just the overarching goal and instead, brainstorm the little things that will be the steps toward success. For instance,  you could make a commitment to go to the gym three times a week. You want your approach to be consistent, not impulsive.

“While big goals are well-intentioned, they are difficult to achieve if you don’t establish smaller, more accessible goals which can be accomplished in a more timely manner.” -Verywellhealth

They are not realistic:

Setting goals that are over-the-top will burden you with false expectations and can lead to disappointment in the long run. That’s why it’s important to set realistic goals. You can easily track your progress so that you can see how far you’ve come and celebrate your achievements.

Too long-term to achieve in one year:

Only give yourself what you can handle. If someone said something like, “I am going to save $50,000 by the end of 2023.” That likely isn’t going to be realistic. If it is for you, then please tell me what job you have so I can make that my future career.  Giving yourself a goal this overly ambitious may ruin your year with tons of stress and hard work. Not that hard work isn’t good, effort is one of the key components to a successful life. Ask yourself whether or not your goal is worth the mental strain. The answer will likely be no. While thinking of what you would like to accomplish this year, keep in mind that a year seems long, but it’s only 12 months.

“This year I’m motivated to stop procrastinating. I want to make 2023 a great year and to start out fresh, I need to have a mindset that will motivate me to get things done,” exclaimed Destinee Carroll.

Instead…

Take smaller steps:

Instead of having one resolution, set smaller and more down-to-earth goals. Each little accomplished goal brings us closer to our best selves. It’s that one percent that brings us to one hundred. You can’t reach the second floor without stairs.

Jaquese Walker stated, “Planning short-term goals are more realistic and down-to-earth than long-term goals are. Being realistic will help you be more successful in life and accomplish what you are willing to achieve.”

You may be wondering, can I accomplish so many goals when I can’t even stick with one new year’s resolution?.”  It’s because your goals are too broad. People hate committing to things that eventually pay off. Why? Because every genuinely good result stems from the effort put into it. Think about it this way: Let’s say your resolution is a seed, just an idea. It hasn’t been planted yet. It needs to be planted into the soil and grow roots. In order for that to occur, you must tend to and water it. People want the flower to bloom, but they don’t want to put in the effort of watering them every day.

Sydney Tory shared, “To make 2023 the best year, I recommend setting out a plan for your month at the start. How much do you want to save? How much do you want to spend? I think that planning is just one of the biggest things you can do to have a successful year.”