BREWED February 2015 | Page 30

The solution to your New Year’s resolutions Each year we merrily fall into the same old trap. A few quickly, but enthusiastically written lines turn into a token of our “soonto-be” dream selves. We love making New Year’s resolutions as much as we love champagne. Yet, we are completely aware that within a week or two we’ll have forgotten them all. According to the American Psychology Association, only 8% of us stick to their New Year’s goals. But if the success rate is so low, why do we keep setting our hopes high? First, take that all important piece of paper and scratch everything you don’t truly want to do. Do you really want to go to the gym 4 times a week or do you solely want a nice body? Do you want to study like crazy or do you simply want to have higher grades? Do you want to call your mom every day or do just want to please her? You get the idea. If you are only looking forward to the result, but find the way to get there tedious, you most likely wouldn’t succeed. The sweetness of making resolutions hides in the fact that it’s the ultimate form of procrastination. A mind-game we play with ourselves when we think we want to achieve something, but don’t want it badly enough to actually put some effort in. After all, if our motivation was fully sincere we wouldn’t have postponed the hard work until the mythical January 1st. But don’t abandon Now, think of what you really enjoy doing. Have you always loved photography? Are you a self-taught chef? Or maybe you drown yourself into a nice book from time to time? Instead of focusing on your imperfections you can focus on all the small things that make you happy. In the next 365 days you can start your own photography blog, cook a new dish every week or maybe all hope. You can easily get back on track. fulfill a reading challenge. Already sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Last but not least, take your time to make a plan, and follow it with love and care. You can even use those SMART goals our study coaches adore. The most important thing is to keep working hard, no matter if the aim slips away once in a while. Don’t give up. Hard work always pays off at the end. And if you find a new passion in the middle of the year, don’t wait for January 1st to pursue it. Every day is a new start. It’s up to you to reach the goal line. Words by Irena Djourelova, Looks by Milena Ivanova 30