THE STRUGGLE WITH NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
You can hear the audio version of this discussion on my podcast at Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast, on Apple Podcast, and many other platforms!
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION
New Year’s resolutions are a popular way to set goals and try to start better habits. Many of us feel some type of pressure to set New Year’s resolution. Some of the most common resolutions are related to fitness, eating habits, finances and mental health. With so many of us making resolutions, unfortunately, often many of these resolutions only stick for a few months, if they even last that long. I do usually set New Year’s Resolutions, but I honestly couldn’t tell you what my resolutions were last year. I read that the second Friday in January is the day when most people quit their resolutions. Not sure how accurate that is, but it definitely sounds possible based on my experience. So, with so many resolutions being set, why do we do so bad at keeping the resolutions that we set as a general population?
SET UNREALISTIC GOALS
One reason why people fail to stick with their resolutions is that they set unrealistic goals. For example, if someone who has never exercised much sets a goal to run a marathon, they are more likely to fail than if they set a goal to walk for 30 minutes a day. It is very unmotivating to set a goal that you will never be able reach. It’s much better to set goals that stretch a little than goals that stretch so much they will never happen.
Consider what else is going on in your life and how much time and effort you can put into the goal on a regular basis. It should be fun to work towards completing your goal. If you set expectations that will be unlikely to achieve you could turn a goal that could make you feel great by making constant progress into a source of stress. This stress can cause you to want to give up.
NO PLAN
Another reason why people fail to stick with their resolutions is that they do not have a real plan for achieving their goals. For example, if someone wants to improve their health, they need to have a plan for how they will change their diet and exercise habits. A goal needs to have actionable steps to take so that you can measure if you are sticking to your resolution. Rather than stating you will try to exercise 3 days a week, deciding to pick three specific times that you have available to exercise and committing to those times is something you can more likely be successful with.
SUPPORT SYSTEM
A third reason why people fail to stick with their resolutions is that they do not have a support system in place. For example, if someone wants to quit smoking, they may need the support of friends and family members to help them through the process. It feels good when you have encouragement to keep you on track. Having someone to reach out to when you are having a hard time sticking to your new habits can help you gain the strength to keep going. It can also create accountability when you know you have people excited for you about the changes you are trying to make
LACK OF MOTIVATION
Finally, people may fail to stick with their resolutions because they do not have a strong enough motivation to change. Sometimes we come up with a resolution because it’s the New Year and we feel like we need to think of some positive change to make. It’s pretty likely that if this was a change you were really motivated to make, you probably wouldn’t be waiting for the new year to start. This can lead to us setting resolutions that we really don’t have much of a commitment to which can lead to us losing interest pretty quickly.
CONCLUSION
New Year’s resolutions can be a great way to make positive changes in your life. But, they require a plan for success and real motivation. If you’re struggling to stick with your resolutions, try breaking them down into smaller, more achievable goals. Or think about the goals that you set and determine if they are really important to you. Pick new ones if you are not excited about the resolutions you set. You do not need to wait for next year to start over again. Resolutions and positive changes can be made at any time. So, while the new year can provide great motivation to start fresh and make some great changes, don’t feel like you lost your chance to do something great if you are unsuccessful with your original plans for the New Year.
Thanks so much for checking in! If you would like to hear the podcast version of this topic check out Lola’s Frugal Life Podcast! Also, be sure to check out my other blog posts on this site!
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