Joanne Chang
Staff reporter
New Year’s resolutions are a time-honored tradition, with many people resolving to make positive changes in their lives. The most common resolutions include exercising more, eating healthier, losing weight, saving more money, and spending more time with family and friends. However, it can be difficult to stick to these resolutions, and many people find themselves abandoning their goals by February.
One way to increase the chances of success is to make micro-goals or small steps towards achieving your larger goals. For example, if your resolution is to exercise more, you might start by setting a goal to do one pull-up. If you can’t yet do a pull-up, you can focus on exercises that will help you build up the strength to eventually achieve that goal, such as negative pull-ups, scapular pulls, or Australian pull-ups. You can also incorporate other exercises that target the same muscle groups, such as rows, lat pulldowns, and more.
Another reason that New Year’s resolutions may fail is that they are often not constructed in a way that leads to sustainable behavior change. Resolutions can be difficult to stick to because they are not always based on a person’s motivations or needs, and they may not consider the complexity of behaviors, which are often influenced by personality, temperament, and various emotional and physical needs. To maximize the chances of success, it can be helpful to review your accomplishments and set goals based on what you have learned. Remember that trying new things and experiencing new things is an accomplishment in and of itself, and it’s important not to view setbacks as failures. It can also be helpful to record your progress, as this item can help to keep you motivated. There are also several common reasons that New Year’s resolutions may not stick. According to psychotherapist Amy Morin, these include not being ready to change, lack of self-monitoring, lack of planning, overconfidence, and failing to consider what must be given up to make changes. To increase the chances of success, it’s important to be prepared for the challenges that come with making changes and to be willing to put in the hard work necessary to achieve your goals.
If you can do this, your resolutions have a much better chance of sticking. Unsuccessful resolutions don’t mean they are gone. Being prepared for the challenges of real life and having the urge to put in the hard work, resolutions will stick.
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