Hate to play the devil’s advocate but I think New Year’s resolutions always fail. But there are multiple reasons for this, and failure can be avoided.
1. Resolutions are too large and vague
When you set goals like “lose weight” or “become more extroverted” you are likely to not meet these targets. Why? Because they’re not specific enough. When goals aren’t specific, we can often get lazy to try to meet them because we are unsure of how to go about trying to reach them. Instead, start by setting smaller, monthly goals. For example, “I am going to start going to the gym three days a week this whole month”. Make sure to also include deadlines for the smaller goals so you have a general timeline of how and when you ’re going to meet your targets.
2. Jumping in instead of baby steps
Because it’s a new year, many of us feel excited to start working on our resolutions and jump into a whole new routine. For example, going to the gym 7 days a week if you have never gone to a gym or starting a keto diet and cutting ALL carbs out of your diet. When you rush into something, it may not last as long as you’d want it to because by week two you’re exhausted from trying to maintain a newly formed routine. So always remember to take baby steps and start working towards a goal gradually. The saying “slow and steady wins the race” is really a way to success.
3. You don’t treat yourself and track progress
We’re so focussed on attaining the ultimate goal that we forget to enjoy the process we’re taking to get there. Because of this we’re not tracking progress and celebrating the little successes that ensure us that we’re getting closer to our resolution. The “celebrating” part acts as a reward to reinforce our behaviour, and when good behaviour is not rewarded its often times not repeated. Thus, leading to failure in the long run. Treating yourself once in a while is really important.
A new year is a great way to start new or rather, a great start date to start working towards that goal you’ve been meaning to reach months ago. But it’s also important to stay relaxed, start gradual and set attainable goals so you’re aren’t let down if you don’t meet those targets.