Why Do New Year Resolutions Fail? How Can You Increase Your Chances of Reaching Your Goal

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychology, approximately 50% of the population makes resolutions each New Year. However, 88% fail to reach their resolution goal (Widrich, 2013). No, it’s not because so many people are lazy, it’s because the brain cannot handle the overload of responsibility and many are not ready to make that change. So, how do you enhance your chances of reaching your goal?

First, let’s understand the brain and why the brain is not built for New Years resolutions. According to Widrich (2013), willpower is what is needed for people to stay on track of their New Year’s resolution. However, the prefrontal cortex, which is where willpower along with other functions, such as focus, short term memory and solving abstract tasks are located, cannot handle the large amount of willpower that is needed for a New Year’s resolution. This is because people may have too many goals, set high expectations, set high standards, and unrealistic goals (Williams, 2010). The brain literally goes into overload leading to the high percentage of failed efforts. Secondly, people feel the pressure to have to make some type of change rather than really wanting to. You have to want the change rather than feel you have to.

Don’t fret, hope is not lost. Here are some steps that can be taken to help increase the success rate of reaching your resolution, whether it is part of your New Year’s resolution or on any other day.

Set only one resolution: This will eliminate some of the overload burden on you and your brain. Make a list if you have more than one and choose the one resolution that is most important to you. This will also make sure it’s something you want rather than feel burdened to.
Be specific: Goals should be specific. Instead of I want to lose weight, a specific goal is I want to lose 15 lbs.
Create habits: “Every evening after work, go for a 2-3 minute run or walk around the block” or “instead of the daily chips for my daily snack, I will have an apple” This will help your brain create an instinctual pattern. According to Dr. Fogg from Stanford University, breaking down each goal and setting small habits could increase your chances of success by at least 50%
Tell People or Someone: Having an accountability buddy or buddies can help you stick to your goal. Reporting your progress and even failures can help motivate you and keep you on track. This can be done by using social media and reporting to your many friends or confiding in your best friend. Make sure you also include this in your habit mode. Do this once a week.
Celebrate Your Successes: Reward yourself for small successes rather than wait for the finish line. Doing this will help you stay motivated and your brain will love you for the special reward. (Think Pavlov)
Meditate / Pray: Regardless of your spiritual background, studies have shown that mediation or prayer can help clear the mind and strengthen will power. Finding a Mantra or Spiritual verse can be a constant motivation, especially during the times you feel you may be inclined to fail. My mantra is “I can do all things through Christ who Strengthens me”
Re-Evaluate and Re-set: Every month review your progress and reset or add habits to accomplish your goals if needed. Sometimes your smaller goals may need to change depending on your progress.
Have Fun: See this change transition as a positive transformation rather than a job or burden. Laugh at your failures, celebrate your successes, and always make sure to mediate to reset yourself to ensure you stay on your path.

References

Widrich, L. (2013) The science behind the new years resolution. Retrieved from: https://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-new-years-resolutions-why-88-fail-and-how-to-make-them-work

Williams. R (2010) Why new years resolutions fail. Retrieved from:https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wired-success/201012/why-new-years-resolutions-fail

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Laura Rivera is the Owner and Transformation Coach for Self Dynamics LLC. Partnering with people for empowerment and encouragement by walking alongside them for a season of their life and help coach them through their needs of self-growth. She also partners with organizations for their many organizational needs by coaching them through their time of transformation. From Business Leadership Development, HR Consulting, Parenting/ Family Coaching, Achieving personal life goals, to Spiritual growth and formation, she focuses on the growth and well-being of everyone from all backgrounds and walks of life.

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