It is no secret that most New Year Resolutions never stick. Want to know why? This article will teach you all about it.
But before we go into that, let us talk about New Year Resolutions.
New Year Resolutions
Some call New Year Resolutions a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World.
When a person resolves to do good, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behavior at the beginning of a calendar year, then we can say that person has made a New Year’s Resolution.
Anyone can decide to make a New Year’s Resolution. It is not limited to age, gender, or race. Next, we will talk about some famous New Year’s Resolutions people make.
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Commonly-Made New Year’s Resolutions
Save More Money
This is one resolution that helps you in the long run. You can never go wrong with saving money. And with January around the corner, this should be the best time for you to get started.
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In case you require professional help, some apps can assist you. Also, creating a rough budget that you can adhere to once the new year comes is vital.
Eat Healthier Foods
Eating healthy is something many people wish to do but never get the chance to, but this is a New Year’s Resolution you can actually keep. Variety is the spice of life, so you should try to eat more diverse foods.
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Read More Books
The New Year is one of the perfect times to start a new book. Why not start one and then form a book club with your friends so that you can discuss your progress every week?
Also, you can join an online forum and make contributions.
Drink Less Alcohol
You know you don’t need to drink to have a good time, so why not reduce that hazardous habit? Or, better yet, cut it off completely?
Cutting back can help improve your mood, sleep, skin, and immune system. Also, you will save money in the long run.
Smoke Less
Cigarettes are extremely harmful to your health, particularly your lungs, but tobacco products in general (including vapes) pose a serious threat.
This is another resolution that most people make for the new year, and while it is quite a solid step in the right direction, it is not a resolution that’s easily attainable.
So there you have it. While these aren’t the only resolutions people make yearly, these are some of the common ones.
Now, we will talk about why these New Year Resolutions never stick.
New Year’s Resolution: Why It Never Sticks
The desire to set goals often comes on the heels of the start of a new week, month, year, semester, or birthday, dubbed the “fresh start effect.” When the slate is wiped clean in any capacity, people feel more compelled to conquer a challenge.
New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap for being notoriously unattainable. Studies and surveys show people aren’t great at sticking to resolutions, ditching them within the first month. However, the process you take in reaching the goal holds more weight than simply choosing to change.
These are the few reasons why many don’t attain their New Year Resolutions.
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You Don’t Make Meaningful Resolutions
One major reason New Year Resolutions don’t work is that they’re not realistic enough. Do you set goals that have little or nothing to do with your priorities and expect them to work?
That’s not possible.
New Year’s Resolutions only work when aligned with your values. A simple way to ensure this is to consider your values and how they can impact your life. Then you make goals that align with those values.
For example, if your New Year resolves to stop spending too much money, but you normally come across inviting ads, then your solution is to recall your values. Maybe those values include being ecologically aware and not spending too much. Recalling that can help you remain strong in the face of temptation.
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You Don’t Set Specific Goals
The problem with some resolutions is that, while they align with your values, they are too vague. Imagine your New Year’s Resolution was to join a certain group, but you didn’t specify when or how you would go about it. Then there’s a chance that the resolution won’t be fulfilled because it is not intentional.
Context is crucial, and when you set goals with intention (the how and the why), they will be easier to accomplish.
Our goals may set the tone and motivate us to create habits, but it’s actually engaging in daily, context-specific behaviors that create a habit. If you’re mapping out how to achieve a resolution, such as the popular resolution of improving fitness, think about how this goal fits into your pre-existing routines.
Maybe you throw on workout clothes right after making your bed and before brushing your teeth, and then you go for a 10-minute walk. Perhaps you want to cut down on alcohol in the new year. Make your surroundings more amenable to that goal, remove any adult beverages from your house, and swap your wind-down glass of wine with a mocktail.
You Don’t Break Your Resolutions Into Mini-Goals
Most New Year resolutions tend to fall under behavioral goals, so such a resolution might not be easy to make when it involves a massive life change. Research shows that people abandon their goals if they’re too difficult. In fact, many have abandoned their resolutions within the first month because they deemed the task too difficult.
It is recommended that you break your goals down into smaller bite-sized tasks that you can easily accomplish before proceeding to the more complex tasks.
You Don’t Make Your Mini-Goals Fun
Sometimes reaching our goals feels uncomfortable and unpleasant, like those first few times at the gym or when your new hobby gets boring. When these annoying and painful moments rear their heads, people are unlikely to persist with the change.
However, making these tasks or sensations more enjoyable and rewarding helps you stick with them. If you’re vowing to read more, treat yourself to a latte when picking up a book. Or save your favorite podcast to savor while you’re on your self-imposed daily walk.
To Wrap Things Up
So there you have it. Those are the reasons why most New Year’s Resolutions never stick. Regardless, following the advice outlined in this post will make it much easier to set and achieve realistic goals.
If you have further questions, let us know in the comment section below.
