New Year’s Resolutions are useless unless you understand why they fail!
Researchers at the University of Scranton recently found that only eight percent of people actually keep their resolutions. EIGHT PERCENT. Although an estimated 43% of Americans make resolutions for the New Year that would potentially make themselves healthier, happier, and more productive at work, very few are able to accomplish their own goals. To learn how to make New Year’s Resolutions that aren’t useless, you first have to look at what makes so many people fall short. Here are a few of the top resolutions people choose, why they fail, and how to fix them!
Reason for Failure:
1. Most people dive into the new year thinking they need to overhaul their life. This can quickly become overwhelming, which makes it that much easier to quit altogether.
Try This Instead:
Choose one small thing to work on instead. Instead of focusing on “run a marathon”, “pay off all debt”, or “cut out all sugar”, try to focus on adding 10 more minutes of running time, paying off some small amount more per week, or cutting out your daily frappucino run first, and then set another small goal in a month or two.
Reason for Failure:
2. People tend to set vague goals rather than identifying what they actually want, and vague goals tend to yield vague results.
Try This Instead:
If you want to “lose some weight”, identify how many pounds is healthy and reasonable to lose in say, 2 months. If you want to “get healthier/in shape”, instead note the spin class you plan to get to or the number of burpees you’re willing to do in a week. Being vague is an easy to way to let yourself out of your own resolution, because you can justify that you did a little bit and that’s enough.
Reason for Failure:
3. People often don’t look at what their resolution actually symbolizes for themselves, and quit when those other circumstances change.
Try This Instead:
Consider why you want to make that resolution in the first place. Are you setting a goal to please yourself or someone else? Is your goal actually helpful or beneficial to you, or just something you think you should do because other people are doing it? Often people try to change what they are insecure about, rather than taking an honest look at their life and attempting to live in a way that is healthy. Change motivated by fear or insecurity often falls short of its underlying goal, and leaves a person unfulfilled.
Whether you think resolutions are silly or you religiously examine your journey every year, true success in cultivating a life and habits you can enjoy and feel proud of comes from being honest with yourself and others, taking care of your body, mind, and spirit, and moving in the direction of healthy growth day by day—not as some goal to check off and be done with, but rather, as a journey you are never finished with. What direction will you move in this year, this week, this day? If you’re ready to get started on your best year ever, give us a call to talk to us about whether Centered’s mindfulness based mental health program and Intensive Education program is right for you! 800-556-2966
