It’s a new year, and with it, people try to make changes in their lives. Resolutions can help people figure out their priorities, and they give us a handy excuse to try new things. Maybe one of your resolutions is to make more home-cooked meals. With that in mind, you might try out different recipes to help accomplish your goals.
Of course, resolutions are also infamously tough to stick to and carry out. It’s hard to commit to changes, whether they’re big or small. Modifying our habits takes work, and requires accountability to ourselves. It can take anywhere between 20 to 250 days to develop a habit to begin with, and about 2 months for the behavior to become automatic. That's a lot of time to set aside for that work, and it's easy to mess up! Breaking a habit also takes about two and a half months for the average person, if it's something you want to stop doing.
Motivation can help with the process of developing a habit. To cook more at home, you might be motivated externally, since you can save money by cooking instead of eating out. You may also feel intrinsically motivated—there’s nothing more satisfying than serving a delicious meal to yourself and your loved ones.
When it comes to helping youth make changes in their lives—whether by attending school, or getting involved in their communities, or saying “no” to drugs—it’s useful to consider the different ways you can help youth accomplish those goals. What methods will help youth keep track of their goals and progress? Who are youth accountable to for their actions? How can your programs motivate youth? Considering that many youth may have made certain actions into habits, it can take a lot of time and support to change that behavior for the better.
Resolutions and making big changes in life are difficult, but with the right strategy, motivation, and support networks, anything is possible!