This story was previously published at The Weal, Print Edition. Volume 91, Issue #14.
Losing weight, saving money, quitting smoking and developing healthy habits are often the most popular New Year’s resolutions.
At the beginning of January, it’s normal for people to feel excited and motivated about their resolutions and look forward to accomplishing them.
However, as the year goes by, people often stop caring.
Suddenly, in the middle of March, people have that extra slice of pizza, because who cares about New Year’s resolutions anyway? It’s life and it’s worth it.
By December, people realize they had more than 300 days to work on their New Year’s resolutions and ended up achieving nothing.
“It’s easy to make them [resolutions], then when you actually have to apply them, it’s really hard,” said Kathleen Boniol, a second-year SAIT student from the travel and tourism program.
According to Statistic Brain, a study made by the University of Scranton showed that 92 per cent of people are unsuccessful in accomplishing their New Year’s resolution.
There are many reasons why people don’t stick to their New Year’s goals, but these are some of the most popular:
1. Unrealistic goals.
In order to accomplish your goal, you have to keep your feet on the ground.
Be realistic and realize what it is that you’re truly capable of doing. Trying to save a few dollars when you dine-out won’t make you rich overnight but it sure will make your savings grow.
By the end of the year, you will have some extra cash to treat yourself.
2. Failure to set deadlines.
Everybody hates deadlines, however, if you really want to accomplish something, creating a deadline will make you feel engaged with your goal.
For example, if you want to lose 10 pounds in a year, try losing one pound per month and keep track of the progress.
This way, you will feel committed to keep working on your goal.
3. No focus on the process.
Many people give up on their New Year’s resolutions within a month because they don’t see immediate results.
“A lot of people, including me, look for quick results, but as we don’t see them we just stop and don’t try anymore,” said Ximena Rios, a second-year SAIT student from the radio, television and broadcast news program.
Great things take time and discipline. So when you don’t initially see the results that you were expecting, take a deep breath and look back at all the things that you’ve accomplished.
It may not be easy at first, but if you’ve already started making an effort, keep trying. Concentrate on the process, and you’ll be surprised by the results.
4.Being too hard on yourself.
If the first time you couldn’t make it, that’s alright. It’s not the end of the world.
Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you do, you will get tired of your goal and end up achieving nothing.
Take it easy on yourself, but not too easy; being lazy will not help you accomplish anything.
5.Lack of motivation
This is perhaps the main reason why people never achieve their goals.
To stay motivated, track your results, focus on your progress, and always remember why you started.
This way, you will feel happy about what you’ve accomplished through the year and be more confident about yourself.
The real secret to a a goal is constancy and discipline, so try to stick to at least one of your resolutions for the next 12 months and you may be surprised by how much you are capable of.