For many people making New Year’s resolutions is an annual ritual. The New Year means time to reflect on what happened the previous year and to set goals for the next year. According to the article, The History of New Year’s Resolutions, the practice of making New Year’s resolutions is rooted in early Christian religious beliefs. “The first day of the new year became the traditional occasion for thinking about one’s past mistakes and resolving to do and be better in the future.” The article further notes that “while as many as 45 percent of Americans say they usually make New Year’s resolutions, only 8 percent are successful in achieving their goals.”
Many people I know make New Year’s resolutions and get off to a strong start, and then somewhere along the way they fizzle out, lose interest and sometimes abandon their resolutions altogether. I am going to share with you some of the reasons why New Year’s resolutions fail, and then give you 5 easy steps to making New Year’s resolutions that stick!
Why Do New Year’s Resolutions Start Off Strong and then Fail?
Resolution Based on Unrealistic Expectations: Some New Year’s resolutions are dreams that require much longer than a year to do. Some resolutions require drastic and unsustainable life changes.
Resolution was too vague: Resolutions that are not specific are difficult to track or measure success.
Failure to Plan: Proper planning is one of the fundamentals of goal setting.
Low Motivation: This is a byproduct of unrealistic expectations and failure to plan. If results don’t come immediately, some people lose faith in their efforts and abandon their resolutions.
Analysis Paralysis – resolutions that are too complex can’t get started! Resolutions that are simple and straightforward have a better chance of success.
5 Steps to Make New Year’s Resolutions That Stick
- Make Resolutions that are specific. For instance, if your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, that is good but vague. A more specific goal would give you a way to measure whether you are on track to meet your goal. Instead of just resolving to lose weight, set a number for that weight loss goal. Suppose part of achieving your weight loss goal is to eat heathier foods? Try being specific about what unhealthy food or habits you intend to swap for a healthier choice. Then swap one habit for a healthier one every 60 days.
- Give yourself the best chance for success by making New Year’s Resolutions that you can reasonably do. When making your resolutions, ask yourself if this a realistic goal that you can attain? It is fine to push yourself. However, you are setting yourself up for failure if you make your New Year’s resolutions unnecessarily aggressive. Behavior changes made in small increments are more likely to stick. Longevity is the key. Avoid making drastic goals that are a significant departure from your current state or cause you to stop doing multiple things cold turkey.
- Make a sensible plan for how you will get your resolutions done and write it down! Spend some time thinking about what you will do differently that will get you closer to your goal. For example, if exercise is part of your weight loss goal, write down when you plan to exercise, and what exercises you will do. Put it on a calendar. Making simple resolutions and being reasonable about how they will get done will position you for success. Many people make aggressive weight loss goals and sign up for New Year’s gym memberships that they later discontinue: either because they couldn’t afford it, or they didn’t plan when they would go to the gym. Paying a personal trainer alone won’t make the weight come off. Remember, change doesn’t need to be drastic to be forward progress! Be realistic about what you can do and when you can do it! Then write it down.
- Celebrate your forward progress toward your resolutions to keep motivated! A New Year’s Resolution doesn’t have to be something that takes all year to complete. You may want to take one resolution and break it up to make several mini resolutions. That way you can stay motivated by having multiple successes to celebrate throughout the year!
- Give yourself some flexibility in your resolutions to adjust your plan. For instance, if saving $5000 is a realistic goal for you, there are multiple paths you can take to get there. You can cut back on spending in a particular area, get a side hustle, change jobs to get a raise, cut back a habit that costs you money, be a thrifty shopper, move to lower housing expenses, sell some of your used items online, or have money automatically deducted from your paycheck deposited into a savings account. You may start off the year pursuing one plan for reaching your savings goal, and discover that one method alone won’t do the trick. You can adjust your savings method or decide to use more than one method at a time.
Most importantly, you do not have to completely abandon a resolution because you encounter difficulty! Remember, this is your life and these are your resolutions and you can change them. Any time you feel self-doubt or anxiety start to creep in because you are not making the progress you would like, stop! Celebrate the progress you made, no matter how small, and then go back to your resolutions and adjust. Any resolution that results in making you feel bad about yourself is not worth keeping.
I hope that you use these tips to make New Year’s resolutions that you can keep! May you experience a year of continued self-improvement and forward progress toward your success goals!
Best Wishes for Health, Peace, and Love for the New Year!
