New year resolutions

It's that time of the year when New year's resolutions kick off. And I have no doubt that by now you, are poised to get started, so you can make good on your to-do list for the new year.

This year you want to make a difference from past years when you had the drive but lacked continuity. And so you abandoned all your dreams of making improvements.

It's a common occurrence around this season that people are poised to take on new challenges to improve their living standards and their personal development. And so they make resolutions towards attaining these goals.

The most common New Year's resolution.

Most New Year’s resolutions are usually tied to self-improvement. The intention here is to make a series of changes, in the areas of health, money, and also personal well-being.

We all have goals that we want to achieve, and resolutions are a great way to stay motivated. And so losing weight, eating healthier, stopping smoking, saving money, and spending more time with family, are some of the most common New Year's resolutions that people make.

A past study by Statista found that the most popular New Year’s resolution is to lose weight. It was cited by 14% of people in their study as their top goal. This is followed by 12% who said they wanted to save more money and 10% who indicated their intention to learn how to better manage their time.

But unfortunately, a percentage of people who make new year's resolutions, at some point, will abandon them. In fact, Studies have shown that as much as 80% of people abandon their New year's resolutions within the first month of the New Year.

The above percentage figure shows how making a new year resolution, versus committing to it, is not always in line with each other. It confirms that breaking a new year’s resolution is much easier than keeping it. But why?

Top reasons why new year's resolutions are abandoned

There could be many reasons why people fail to make their resolutions happen, and some of the most common ones are listed below.

1) Lack of commitment

2) Unrealistic goals

3) Lack of self-control

4) General lack of motivation

5) Unrealistic expectations

6) Fear of failure

7) Poor time management skills

8) Not setting small achievable goals that lead up to the larger goal

9) No support system in place (friends and family who can help keep you accountable and motivated through the process).

Some tips for making a New Year's resolution more likely to stick

A New Year’s resolution is a personal goal that you set to accomplish before the end of the year. It has a personal value for you that should be important to you because it is geared towards making you better in some way or helping you to improve your life.

a) Set achievable goals

It is important to set achievable goals and be realistic about what you can do. This will help to make your New Year's resolution more likely to stick.

b) Do not expect quick results

If you are thinking of achieving your goals too quickly, this can lead you down the path of disappointment, especially when you don't see the result in the time frame that you want.

c) Set smaller goals

When setting goals, it is better to set smaller goals that you can achieve more quickly and build up from there, instead of hoping to achieve your overall goal in one chunk. By setting smaller goals, you can see track your progress quite easily.

d) Set specific time frames

Setting a specific time frame for your goals can help you work on achieving them without having to hurry into achieving them. This will help motivate you and keep you on track with your New Year's resolutions.

Final Thought

All new year’s resolutions should serve a purpose in your life because they are made to change your lifestyle from the way it was to the way you want it to be.

And so making resolutions really depends on what you want for yourself, which means that you are not just following the crowd. You are making them based on your personal needs and wants.

Are they a waste of time?

No, and personally I don't think they are. But everyone is different in how they perceive New Year's resolutions. There are some who make them, while there are others that do not make them, but set personal goals that they want to achieve.