Why new year resolutions are hard to follow through
Whether you believe in New Year resolutions or not, please hang in there with me for a moment! I've heard it said many times that new year goals don't work, and there's no difference between setting a goal before the year starts and setting personal targets after the new year. I agree, and I disagree.
Goals are what they are - goals. Regardless of when they are set, their nature doesn't fundamentally change. What I mean is - that whether you set a goal to read more books in July or you decide to do so in January, the point is you still intend to read more books starting from that point and into the future.
However, the fact that only a small percentage of people meet their new year goals should not deter you from goal setting. Resolution or not, the beginning of a new year is a great time to reflect on your past year and set some intentions for the year ahead. Your environment is primed for reflection and fueled with the right amount of optimism you need to look at life in a different light.
So rather than waste this opportunity, you should ask why a lot of people find it hard to follow through.
Why is it hard to follow through on New Year resolutions?
Setting too ambitious goals: Most people underestimate how much time and effort goes into goal setting and achieving. When you set a goal that is unrealistic, it's easy to get discouraged and give up. I often wait until it's a few days after the new year, sometimes until February, to set new goals for the year. I do this to give myself time to settle into the new year, so I can set goals when some of the euphoria from changing calendar dates has stabilized.
Lack of Planning: The plan is the most important part of any goal. Without a plan, you will be more likely to fail because you don't have a roadmap. Combine a lack of planning with setting unrealistic goals, and you'll end up with paralysis by analysis. How do you beat this? Break down your goals into small chunks. For example, rather than saying you'd read 8 books in 2022, how about saying you'd read a book every other month or two books in each quarter?
Not Enough Support: This usually comes down to two things - lack of support from family and friends or not enough resources to achieve your goal. Let's face it, it's totally human to lose steam and fall off the wagon from time to time. Surrounding yourself with a community of like-minded people will encourage you to stay the course when you feel like quitting on your goals.
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