New Year’s resolutions… do they really work?
January 1st is the date when many people set up lists of new goals they wish to accomplish over a course of a year. Some people can accomplish their objectives, but others find the task impossible and are never able to achieve not even one goal from their list.
Practicing more sports, spending time with family, saving money or having a healthy relationship are just some examples of the resolutions made by people year after year. Yet, statistics show that they do not seem to work.
But, why do people feel that with the beginning of the year they should set targets to feel renewed?
One might think that by setting a goal on the first day of the year means that it can be successfully accomplished. Nevertheless, the truth behind any New Year’s resolutions is that setting goals in this exact day, is equally efficient as setting goals on any other day. So, people could make goals any other day of the year, but there is an apparent satisfaction on doing them on January first. The issue is that most goals set on this date are never done.
Why can’t I achieve my goals?
The problem relies is that humans tend to lose motivation as time goes by. And for the case of New Year’s resolutions, people’s lists tend to be long, which gradually decreases motivation even more. For New Year’s resolutions, the enthusiasm to achieve goals escapes when the person returns to their normal routine after the holidays and the New Year’s party; especially if there is long list of goals. Why? The reason is simple, when people go back to their routine and responsibilities they not only have to get used to it, but will need to add new elements (the goals) to it. If the person is having trouble organizing his daily routine, then he is most likely to fail in accomplishing his new year’s resolutions.
What is the solution?
Truth is that most New Years’ goals do not really work. If a person would really like to make a major change in their lifestyle, then the most efficient way of doing so is by living in the present.
This doesn’t mean that people shouldn’t establish goals at all. Because, the process of synthesizing what one wishes to achieve cannot just take place once in a year. Instead, it should be a constant process.
It is not about overwhelming yourself with a lot of unachievable goals. It is about living the today with small, specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and exciting goals. If you think about it, it does not take much effort to have one daily goal, and it is the faster and smarter way of achieving them and become the person who you want to be.
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