In many countries New year’s resolutions are normally set (fixer) in January with the purpose to help an individual to identify, and achieve (atteindre) goals for the year. After the excitement of December, the long cold days of January can be cheered up (renconforté) by making resolutions that remind us of the new opportunities and optimism of the year ahead. Resolutions represent “leaving the past behind you” (oublier le passé) and can help you focus on “turning over a new leaf” (tourner la page) and changing your behaviour (comportement) for the better in the new year.
However, the promise of success is often quickly replaced by the disappointment (la deception) of failure (l’échec) as a high proportion of people fail (échouer) to keep their resolutions (tenir une resolution). Indeed, there is even a “quitters day” in mid-January, which is cited as the day that most people break (casser) their resolutions
So this year, in order to stick to (tenir) your resolutions and achieve your objectives why don’t you consider swapping (échanger) your resolutions for smart objectives:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Time-bound
You can write your SMART objectives in English, using a future tense. A good tip (conseil) is to use positive rather than negative language because it is easier to focus on achieving something positive rather than to stop something bad.
Use the future with will / be going to :
Example : Instead of writing “I won’t eat junk food” write “I will eat healthy food 6 days per week”
To make your resolution “smart” you can use the future perfect tense (will + have+ past participle, we use this tense to describe an action that will be complete in the future)
Example: “By December 2024, I will have obtained a B2 level in English” (j’aurai obtenu un B2 en anglais)
You could also use the Future continuous (will +be +verb ing we use this tense to describe an action that will be in progress in the future)
Example: “By December 2024 I will be working in an international company and using English everyday”
If you choose to make a resolution this year good luck, and if you fail don’t be hard on yourself try to remember – “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again!”