3 New Year’s Resolution Alternatives
Why you want to consider other approaches and how Music, Art, & Dance lessons & classes at Austin Arts Academy keep you motivated.
Why would you want a New Year’s Resolution Alternative?
Are you like the majority of people that set a New Year’s resolution, come out of the gate hot with dedication and determination, only to have it fizzle out by the end of January?
Don’t feel bad, a quick internet search told me that on average only 16% of people follow through with their New Year’s resolutions. If you are one of those 16%, congratulations! The rest of us can learn from you.
But, if you’re one of the 84% (myself included) who fall off track and lose steam a few weeks in and completely forget what your New Year’s resolution was by March, you might be interested in an alternative to the traditional New Year’s resolution.
One reason people fail is because of their goal setting skills. We wrote a blog discussing how to improve goal setting with kids, and these concepts can be applied to yourself as well. Keep Reading… 5 Tips for Setting Goals with Kid’s
In 2013, I integrated a new approach to how I begin the New Year and have altered and tweaked that process over the years to find what fits and works best for me.
Whether you want to scrap the whole New Year’s resolution and try something new, or integrate a new idea into your current process, there are options that will allow you to feel successful.
Discover 3 different approaches to entering the New Year and how Music, Art, & Dance lessons and classes at Austin Arts Academy can help keep you motivated and on track.
3 New Year’s Resolution Alternatives:
Vision Board
2013 was the first year I created a vision board. My roommate at the time had this tradition with her bonus mom and she asked me to join them. Around the New Year, we sat down at a table full of magazines and they said to start flipping through the pages and cut out any images or words that stood out. Then we took those images and words and glued them onto a poster board to create a collage of inspiration for the year, to display somewhere we could see it everyday.
A few years later, I joined a vision board coaching group and we broke this down even further and wrote out the goals and aspirations we had for the year related to career, relationships, dreams, and other various categories. Once we had these written out, we were encouraged to find images that related to the goals and create the vision board from there. It was a similar concept, with a bit more structure.
You can create a vision board however you feel called to do so. It’s fascinating to look back at the board at the years end and see how certain elements have manifested and how it may have happened in a way that was completely different than you had anticipated.
Maybe a picture of a guitar sticks out to you because you have always wanted to learn how to play. By looking at this picture regularly, it reminds you of this goal, so you decide to sign up for guitar lessons with Austin Arts Academy.
Word of the Year
In 2018 I went on a horse and yoga retreat in Costa Rica and a woman in the group shared with us how she chooses a word of the year. I listened intently as she described how this word helped to guide her through the year based on what that word represented for her and related to her life.
So in 2018 I incorporated this practice into my New Year’s routine, only I chose three words that connected to the themes of my vision board.
These words became a point of focus for me as I moved through the year. As I made big life decisions, I took into account these words and visions I had for my future, which helped provide clarity and insight.
How you choose your word or words can be as simple as looking at a list of descriptive words and choosing what sticks out. Or you can create your resolution, vision board, or a combo of both and pick a word that represents the entire theme and use that word as a reminder of the bigger picture or goal.
Creativity is a word that we hear often at Austin Arts Academy and it’s a great example of a word or theme to choose. Plus, we offer Music, Art, & Dance classes that allow all ages of students to explore their natural talents, expressing that creativity. Keep Reading… How to Be Creative in One Simple Step
Monthly List
Just this year, in 2022, I created a monthly list of themes to reflect on for the year. My friend and I ate a black-eyed pea and cabbage stew on New Year’s Day as we drew cards from various oracle card decks, one for an overall theme of the year and then twelve more for each month of the year.
As the year went by, I’d start each month by reviewing the overall theme and monthly theme, then reflect back on it at the end of the month. As I looked back each month, I connected the events in my life to the words I’d chosen for the year and how the themes played out.
This process allowed me to set goals throughout the year, and create my visions based on the words I’d chosen and what was realistically going on for me each month and how to move forward accordingly.
How you create your list depends on your ultimate goal. One option would be to create a list of 12 things that you want to accomplish that relate to your chosen word, setting a smaller goal for each month that connects back to the larger theme, goal or your word for the year.
So if Creativity is your word for the year and one of your visions is to learn how to play guitar, one item on your monthly list could be to play at an open mic you attend regularly and have always wished you could be on stage performing like the other artists you admire.
Music lessons with Austin Arts Academy will help you build your confidence as you learn and practice. Then one day down the road in 2023, you step up on that stage and perform as the crowd cheers you on.
You could also join us for our step-by-step adult Sip & Paint classes for all levels on New Year’s Day 2023. We pour the paint and demonstrate…You mix the drink and create!
January 1st, 2023: Koi Fish Pond
Koi fish are known to bring good luck, as they symbolize prosperity, transformation and opportunity. Start the new year off creatively and join us for our adult only, step-by-step, Sip & Paint class at our Steiner Ranch Studio and intentionally bring these aspects into your life by hanging it on your wall! 10x10 Acrylics on Canvas
How can Music, Art, & Dance lessons & classes at Austin Arts Academy can keep you motivated?
Austin Arts Academy provides the opportunity to motivate you and keep you on track for your yearly and monthly goals and aspirations, as our fun and engaging approach changes the way you learn Music, Art, & Dance. Keep Reading… Top 5 Benefits of Fun & Engaging Classes and Lessons with Austin Arts Academy
Check out our Course Catalog for the most recent course offerings.
If you aren’t sure whether you want group or private lessons, you can also read another blog post: Group Class or Private Lessons…
And check out our Guide for Parents: Don't Know Where to Start?
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Happy New Year!
We wish you all the best in whatever approach to the New Year you choose and thank you for allowing Austin Arts Academy to be a part of your visions and goals.
Written by Melissa Wolken
Contributing Writer, Culture Curator, and Admin Team Member
At Austin Arts Academy, we change the way you learn Music, Art, & Dance from rigid or boring to fun and engaging-an experience students will love at any age.
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