January 1st is the start of a new year. Meaning the start of a new list of activities to accomplish throughout the year. However how many people really complete their list within the year? It is a known fact that by mid-February, 80% of people New Year’s resolutions have failed. Why do people fail at their resolutions and how can you make the perfect list? What’s the truth about new year’s resolutions?
Not Specific Enough
Everyone makes a list of activities they would like to accomplish within the next year. However, within the list they write is made up of vague actions. This is the most common reason why people fail at their own resolutions. Saying exercising more and losing weight is the path to failure. This is due to a lack of motivation and a lack of marking progress. Believing in yourself and putting in focus can help you increase your motivation. People tend to overthink their resolutions which also leads to people failing. They think of over extravagant action to accomplish or think of too many which overwhelms them and makes them unexcited for the task.
Framing the list Negatively
When a person wants to stop doing a certain action, their mind begins to crave it more. For example, stop eating junk food makes other people crave it more because all the focus is on not eating junk food. Jonathan Alpert, an author, said, “It’s almost like I say to you, ‘I don’t want you to think about what a zebra with pink and blue stripes looks like, You kind of have to think about what that would look like not to think about it, right?” Framing a more positive list helps you want to accomplish the goals and helps you to keep the goal long-lasting.
Not About You
The last reason almost everyone fails their resolutions is due to it not being about themselves. People are attracted to things they see. They write their resolution based on the things they see and think they want instead of what they truly want. These types of resolutions are made by what people think other people expect from them. Humans are easily influenced by their environment which affects their mindset of what their true goal is. An example of this is and career goals such as becoming a better employer or advancing the company. They benefit from someone else rather than yourself.
How to Achieve the Perfect List
There are ways to help people achieve the perfect list. Step one is about introspection. Which means a reflection on what the past year has shown the individual and their mental and physical state. Think about their accomplishments and what they truly wanted to achieve but couldn’t of the past years. The second step includes making changes. Creating a list based on your introspection and your true achievements. This list should also include what you are willing to change in order to reach that goal.
Lastly, the third step is choosing your own words. This is a process of refinement because sometimes the first words are close but don’t actually encapsulate what you genuinely mean. People are easily over stressed with their resolutions however choosing words that help you concentrate, Not only do they make you focus but they also give you a sign that it is okay to take a break and come back to work in a couple of days. Now with these tips, and it can become easier to write resolutions and learn about the truth about new year’s resolutions.
