New Years is a very important time for many people around the world. It is seen as the time to start fresh and anew, and also the time in which people create goals and promises for the future year. As the year ends, we start to think about what New Year’s resolutions we will soon be making.
Resolutions can help individuals dictate their time and focus themselves into reaching a long-term goal for the upcoming year.
Some of these resolutions can be so life changing that people can go from zero to one hundred in a year, like getting a promotion in your job, gaining overall better self-esteem, or raising their grades.
These benefits cause us to make resolutions yearly, telling ourselves that we will accomplish a new goal or change something about ourselves for the New Year, but only about 9% of Americans who make resolutions complete them, according to researchers in Ohio State University.
One of the main reasons that New Year’s resolutions fail is that people don’t ask themselves why they are trying to complete that particular goal and so their resolution for the new year crumbles only after a mere couple of days or weeks after the new year begins.
Many believe it will be a walk in the park to reach their resolutions but as weeks go by they notice they have not made much progress.
Another common reason why people fail meeting their goals is because they underestimate the true difficulty of what it will take to fulfill their resolution. They may see it as something that is easily attainable, where they can put in the bare minimum effort, or they are simply just too lazy to take on their goals seriously.
Some of the most typical resolutions like ‘losing weight,’ ‘taking care of yourself,’ and ‘saving money,’ are the types of resolutions that usually fail very quickly. They are generalized and may be created last minute, which results in a poorly planned goal that lacks the specific steps required for it to be successful.
However, there are many ways you can stick with your New Year’s resolutions. One tip is creating SMART goals for your resolutions. SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic. Creating one sets you up for success as it ensures that you are able to get the results you want.
Think of what you really want to achieve and what steps you need to take to get there and remember to take into consideration the reality of your goal and ask yourself if you are really able to commit yourself to it or if it is too far out of reach for you realistically.
Considering your reasoning can improve your motivation as you work towards your goals.
“I’d say stay consistent and have fun along the way and don’t forget what you’re working hard towards,” said junior Marvin Mejia.
Additionally, ensure that you are not overwhelming yourself by making too many resolutions which may lead to failure early on.
Another great method for keeping your goals is to begin thinking of your resolutions before New Year’s eve. This will allow you time to plan and approach your resolution with sufficient attention.
Finally, one last suggestion is to surround yourself with people who will keep you motivated and support you reaching your end goal. This will greatly help you on your path to completing your goal. Without having a support system, or people to complete this goal with, it is likely that your chances of fulfilling your resolutions will greatly decrease.
If each year you make unrealistic goals for vague reasons and without enough support, you will start believing that you are incapable of keeping New Year’s resolutions. You might think you lack the will power or something else is wrong with you. But you are not the problem–the goals are.
Making SMART goals, carefully considering why they are important to you, and surrounding yourself with people who can help you meet them will drastically improve your resolution experience. Instead of associating New Year’s with failure, you will start to think of it as an exciting time of change. By the time you reach the end of 2024, you will be able to reflect on how far you’ve come and enjoy choosing where you want to grow next.