Ahh, the start of a new year: the gyms fill up to the point where you cannot find any parking, grocery carts fill up with fruits and vegetables, and positive attitudes fill up the work and school environment. These are some of the resolutions people promise to achieve for the year in order to develop a new habit to better themselves.
But by March, gym memberships start to decline, people’s junk food cravings get to them, and smiles start to fade. They then stick to their usual habits for the rest of the year and give themselves the typical “oh, it’s okay, there is always next year for another fresh start.”
But why does a fresh start or a new goal have to start at the beginning of the year? If someone wants to start eating better or saving money, there is never a wrong time to start. Goals start within someone and whenever they want to start, not when the earth is done making a full revolution.
According to the Forbes, about 40% of Americans make resolutions and only 8% actually achieve them, leaving 32% of those people disappointed in themselves for not being able to accomplish their goals.
The high failure rate occurs because people make resolutions that are just too big, such as “I am never going to eat junk food again” or “ I am going to go the gym every single day.”
When jumping into such goals, it is almost like saying that these sort of things should be completely changed, when instead setting small goals to avoid overusage or slowly incorporating a new routine are better approaches than complete restriction.
Resolutions also don’t work because people are not enjoying the process of what it takes to achieve such potentially life-changing goals. A new habit can take weeks, months, and even years to develop, and avoiding failure by giving up after the first few days is what makes the resolutions fail.
According to Marla Tabaka, a writer from INC. Newsletter, “attempting to make too many big changes simultaneously or in too many areas of our lives (e.g., work, relationships, health, etc.) usually is a recipe for failure.”
Resolutions are the changes that should only be for themselves, not because of pressure from society, family, friends, etc. and without a time constraint.
One should not simply wait for January to become better, and instead of trying to jump into lofty resolutions, small goals to approach that large goal should be attempted little by little. It is never too late or early too start, and the process requires patience and self-motivation.