New year brings new resolutions. My new year resolutions used to look generally the same every year. One of the most popular items in the list has been eating healthy. More specifically, cutting down on sugar has been on my list for a long time. My head knows sugar is the number one cause of a wide range of health problems. Yet, at the end of the year, I would still find myself frequently gulping down a boba drink and saving tummy space for desserts. Once again, I did not get to really reduce my sugary intake. On the contrary, my husband is excellent at making personal changes. This year, he declared polyester our household enemy, and decided to change as much clothes to cotton. He acted quickly. It only took less than 12 hours for him to go through all kids’ inner clothes and stuff toys to decide which ones to keep. You can imagine the chaos, confusion, and tears all these brought to the kids. Yet, we all eventually turned around, and are now in support of his endeavor. Kids are even pointing out which clothes are polyester that they probably shouldn’t wear. What makes some personal goals stick while others don’t? Here are a few suggestions to make personal changes work.
Wholeheartedly believe in the need for change — Although I said no to sugar, deep inside, I thought a little sugar everyday shouldn’t hurt. I would ask for 30% sugar on my boba drinks, and feel good as though I did my part for the resolution. When new boba shops opened, I felt that I have the right to try out to support a new store in the community. Did I really believe in the need for change? Maybe, but not really. My husband, on the other hand, strongly believes in the harmful effects of polyester, especially on kids. He believes it so much that he started educating all of us in the family with much enthusiasm. I didn’t realize that polyester is made from petroleum, for instance, and sheds microfibers when washed that are harmful for the environment. Polyester traps sweat and bacteria against the skin, causing irritation and possibly infection. When you really believe in the need for change, you start researching more and educating everyone around you. That excitement is contagious and makes others want to give support to help achieve the goal.
Communicate, communicate, communicate — When I made my goals, I wrote in my own little journal and neatly kept it that way. I would occasionally look at it the first few months, but for the most of the year, those goals quietly sat there on my first page of the journal. What’s better is to share the goals with people close to you. “No more polyester in our house”, my husband declared, out of nowhere. What I initially found funny, I realized, is essential in helping bring a personal change. Making a goal public holds oneself accountable. The goal also needs to be very specific. “No polyester” is a goal that is simple and imaginable. This ambitious goal certainly helped manage the expectations among all of us at home to say, “ok, he’s really serious”. It’s like how making a vow in marriage in front of families and friends helps the couples go through the ups and downs in marriage. Don’t keep the goal to yourself. Instead, share it and see if anyone else may be interested to join along.
Evaluate and make adjustments — Not everything went smoothly since the declaration of “no polyester” by my husband. Some cotton clothes that he found were hard to wash and dry. My daughter cried so much when she learned that there really isn’t any purple cotton unicorn stuff toy that we can find. We promised to keep searching and instead, got her other cotton stuff animals. Change is not easy. At least, we’re all talking about it together and making adjustments along the way.
I’m no longer just writing my goals in the journal. I talk about them with my husband frequently and incorporate his input. As for boba drinks, I declared “no more everyday boba”. The goal may not be as ambitious as it could be, but hey, at least it’s a specific and I declared it publicly. What personal goals have you set for yourself this year and shared with others?
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