The Downfall of New Year’s Resolutions

How to Avoid These Pitfalls in Your New Year’s Resolutions to Find Lasting Success

Did you know that more than 70% of all New Year’s Resolutions relate to physical health? 

The beginning of the year is always a popular time for people to set goals, create milestones, and declare resolutions. Sadly though, 23% of people quit their resolutions by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.

Don’t be a statistic!

Here is why the majority of resolutions do not succeed: they are well intended, but they are not backed by action! 

Thinking of resolutions (aka dreaming!) and creating a new year, new me mindset are great – but you can’t stop there! The vision isn’t a reality until you do the actual work, consistently, and see/feel results. So how do we get from here to there?

Pitfall #1: Not being specific enough. 

New Year’s Resolutions tend to be big, generalized statements, like I want to lose 25 pounds or I want to read 25 books – but they lack the plan to implement. Without a system in place, most people revert to their default settings and before they know it the week, month and then year passes by without any change. Creating a plan to back up your resolutions will increase their likelihood of success.

For example, a few years ago I decided I wanted to “read more”. I loved reading my whole life, but when motherhood and career took the driver seat of my life, reading got shoved somewhere into the trunk. 

When I set the resolution of reading 12 books a year (one each month), that felt realistic and achievable – and yet I failed. I realized I needed to take it a step further, creating something I could manage in short periods of time on a daily basis in order to reach my goal. 

Now I pick a book each month, divide the total page numbers by the number of days in the month, and then I know how many pages I need to reach each day to meet my goal. I have met my reading goal (and then some) every year since!

Pitfall #2: Not truly being ready for change. 

Change is uncomfortable – it is facing fears, tackling unknowns, and learning more about ourselves than we sometimes care to know. It is also the pathway to achieving your goals and creating a happier life. There are actually 5 stages to making changes, and the majority of people get stuck in the “getting ready to get ready” phase. They like how the goal sounds, they can visualize how they might feel if that change became a reality – but finding the time, creating the boundaries, or spending the money to make progress becomes an excuse. 

In other words, the pain of change is greater to them than the pain of staying where they are. This means they are not ready because their goals don’t hold enough value for them to follow through. Change won’t come to you; you have to go to it. 

It’s only when the shift from thinking about getting ready, to getting ready, to being ready happens that change can even begin. It’s being ready in your mindset and taking action with your behaviors that start to make resolutions a reality.

Pitfall #3: Too focused on the results and not focused enough on the process. 

There is a saying – the person who falls in love with walking will always go further than the person in pursuit of the destination. The process of becoming is all about the process and not the becoming! Stop worrying about how long it’s going to take to reach your goals and start enjoying the process. 

Quick and easy doesn’t earn lessons, but lessons are what create lasting change. Stop changing your goals and doubting yourself when you don’t see quick results. When you keep changing the plan, you don’t give anything time to grow. Start practicing commitment, intentional action and patience. That is where real results happen. Stop making excuses, justifications and allowing yourself to quit. Start leaning in to resistance and embracing obstacles. Make promises to yourself and then keep them.

Pitfall #4: Setting and forgetting.

Many people enjoy the process of setting New Year’s Resolutions – and then they forget to do anything with them! 

My advice: write them down. In a place where you see them often. I love to put goals, quotes, affirmations and resolutions on the home screen of my phone (not all at the same time, of course). Keeping your resolutions top of mind will naturally create more attention to them throughout your day. Presence in the mind will help to create intention which you can turn into action with a plan.

And for bonus points, create accountability for your resolutions! You can set a bet with a family member, create a check in with a friend or hire a coach to guide you and hold you accountable for your commitments. Different tactics work for different people – the key is to keep trying until you find what works best for you!

Need help learning how to set New Year’s Resolutions that you can obtain, staying accountable, or creating a process? 

Hello Coaching can help! We offer special New Year’s Resolution services in 1, 3 and 5 session packages. Send us a message to learn more!

What resolutions are you making in 2024? 

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