2018 is here: new year, new you! But is this really true?
When people think of New Years, they often associate it with a New Years Resolution. A 2017 Statistic Brain Research Institute study revealed that only 9.2% of people successfully achieve their resolution.
If you think about it, that’s not a lot of people! Why do you think this is the case?
According to an article published by Psychology Today, one of the main reasons that resolutions fail is that people not only set unrealistic goals in their resolutions, but also expectations. Many people make the mistake of thinking that the new year will bring drastic changes to their lives, however this is often not the case.
The tradition of setting New Years Resolutions is still as popular as ever, with people aiming to better themselves and create healthy habits. Despite the low success rate of these resolutions, individuals continue to set resolutions year after year! Whether these are new resolutions or recycled resolutions that didn’t make it past the first month, it’s always rewarding to make a positive change in life.
If you or someone you know set a resolution for 2018 and are still on track, keep up the good work! Here are some additional tips and tricks to keep the motivation up and ensure that resolution becomes part of your lifestyle.
- Focus on a specific goal, rather than a general statement. Maybe you want to work on your character and be nicer, don’t just say you’ll be a nicer person! Set specifics like perhaps you’ll pay it forward once a month, or donate to charity every month.
- Quantify your goals. Make sure you can measure your progress! If you want to read more books, make sure you specify how many you want to read each month.
- Plan it out! If you set a timeline of when you want to achieve what, it can help keep you accountable and you won’t lose sight of the end goal.
- Celebrate every little step. If your goal is to lose weight, don’t just think about the big picture. Every pound lost is a battle won and that deserves recognition.
- Keep it fun! If you think about your goals as work, there is a lesser chance of achieving them. Make sure you still have fun in the process.
It’s always great when someone wants to improve their life by setting goals. Hopefully these tips help in keeping those resolutions on track! Lastly, don’t think a little setback means the whole train has derailed — if you wander off track, it’s okay! Just get back on track and keep chugging along.