It’s that time of year again, when resolutions are made to work off your Adipose (for non-Whovians, just read “fat”), to track and bag Prince Charming, to organize your tornado-destruction-zone office space, and to be able to reenact this scene of Scrooge McDuck.
But to tell you the truth, I don’t believe in New Year’s Resolutions. Let me tell you why…
This post originally appeared on Anna’s 1st blog, Annamotion.
Sad Statistics
Statistic Brain Research Institute shares these statistics for people keeping to the resolutions they make for the New Year:
- 75% make it 1 WEEK! (25% couldn’t make it even 7 days? Really??)
- 71% make it past 2 weeks
- 64% make it 1 month
- 46% make it 6 months
- 8% are successful in achieving their resolution. (EIGHT-measly-percent!)
This is SAD, guys. Really sad.
New Year Magic
Another interesting statistic from that same post says that “people who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don’t explicitly make resolutions.”
I don’t think this is because there’s something magical about the new year (I mean, c’mon! Look at those embarrassing statistics!)
I think it has to do with 2 things:
- Proclaiming a goal. Making a decision and publicly declaring it. Saying something in front of others will make you more likely to do it. You want to be a person of your word and you now have people who will ask you about it later (accountability!).
- Attaching a due date. Setting a deadline. 1 year is a good goal end date; however, I’d take that further and say there should be bench marks, smaller goals, along the way to make it more bite sized and seem more doable.
But did you notice something? These are 2 concepts that don’t have to be applied only to the beginning of a new year. You can do them any day, any time!
From what I’ve seen, people actually seem to be way more likely to keep their goals when they choose it on their own, aside from a feeling of obligation to make a “New Year’s resolution.”
That’s why you see all these people who are physically fit, incredibly skilled at something, achieving their dreams. I bet most of those people didn’t start because of a New Year’s resolution; they started on a random day–the day they CHOSE to stop making excuses and giving up, but set their minds to do it and DID IT!
I’m not saying “don’t make New Year’s resolutions,” buuut…
Don’t ONLY set goals on New Year’s.
Or you’re going to miss out! So many opportunities…so many goals…so many dreams…so little time. Be a person who constantly challenges yourself to be a better person. Set goals constantly throughout your year. Achieve one goal? GREAT! Now set a new one.
Get out of the “New Year” mindset.
When a resolution is failed, many people think “oh, I’ll just wait until next year to start again.” STOP THAT THINKING! Don’t give up if you mess up. Don’t wait around for a new year. It’s already a New Day! A New Hour! Happy New Second! Now start again.
My friend, there is no better time than the present. And since it’s presently a new year, then go for it NOW! Regardless of what day it is.
Great post! I am really looking into this topic as well at the moment, and I am becoming aware that people aren’t always ready to make the big changes and almost always set the bar too high. As you said, we don’t need a date to start! Having a definite plan with small achievable goals certainly helps.
Yes, indeed. That is often a big error for those trying to start making changes in the form of New Year resolutions: they aim too big, too fast. Or at least don’t break up their huge goal into also smaller goals.
Another one I often hear is very vague goals like “I’m going to lose weight” or “I’m going to start eating healthy” or “I’m going to be better with my money.” But what does that really LOOK LIKE? For losing weight, well they could lose a very small amount and rationalize that they met their goal and then go back to their normal pre-new-year-resolution life. How do you know when you reach that kind of goal? If we make goals, we need to make them specific so we know (and can celebrate!) once we’ve reached them.
I feel like your last sentence sums it all up perfectly! 🙂 “Having a definite plan with small achievable goals certainly helps.”
Love your take! I’m also not a fan of resolutions. I do like the reflection of a year-end and the fresh-start feeling of a new year. Though I totally agree you can get a fresh start anytime. =) I choose a word for the year a la Ali Edwards One Little Word project. It helps with intention setting and allows me to stay focused on my overall values without the pressure of resolutions. My One Little Wors for 2016 is LOVE. =) Happy New Year!
Thank you, Marina! It’s so funny you mentioned having a one-word focus because when you commented, I was in the process of writing my post “What Will Your Focus be in 2016?” http://www.annamotion.com/focus2016/ , where I present that idea of having one word or a few words to be your year’s focus.
Thank you so much for sharing that! I’m excited to look her up!
I love seeing your posts on Instagram! 🙂 Happy New Year to you too, Marina!