Ditch New Year’s Resolutions That Fail & Do This Instead

Here we are again, the annual transition from one year to another. A time when we look back on one year and dream about the possibilities the new year holds. It’s also the biggest time of the year for people to contemplate changes and they announce these changes to the world in the form of New Year’s resolutions.

Yet, the success rate of New Year’s resolutions is small.

Maybe it’s because we don’t really mean it when we state them. Perhaps it’s because we simply prefer to dream of being better than actually doing it.

Whatever the reason, if you want to make a change in your life you need more than just resolve to make it happen.

You don’t need another January starting off with resolutions soon to be broken. What you need are New Year’s goals and a plan to make them happen.

New Year’s Resolutions, Set With The Best of Intentions

There is something about the end of the year that gets people reflective.

They think about what did or did not happen. They look back on the last 12-months and reflect on how they spent their time, who was there for them when times were tough, and reminisce over moments lost.

All of this reflecting though has them doing something else, too.

The process of looking back has us all looking for ways to improve. Exploring ways to boost our efficiency. Contemplating if the previous year was truly a good one and if time was used well.

We think about if we were happy with the year. Did we achieve the success we hoped for last January? Where could we improve our lives and the lives of our families?

This thought pattern brings about a desire to change – a desire to do more with the next 12-months.

Wanting to do better in the next year in and of itself is not a bad thing. Looking back and analyzing how you spend your time can be a great way to improve yourself… however, the tradition of setting New Year’s resolutions tends to backfire.

The History of New Year’s Resolutions

According to this article, New Year’s resolutions have been around for about 4,000 years. Over time, they changed in meaning and purpose. Today, we find that the most common New Year’s resolutions revolve around a desire to improve yourself with the top choices being losing weight, exercising more, and quitting smoking.

By themselves, these aren’t bad things. However, the success rate of New Year’s resolutions is only about 8% – ouch!

Worse, just 20% of these resolutions even make it to February.

The reasons for this are many but really boil down to just one thing – commitment.

Are You Really Committed To Your New Year’s Resolution?

I mean, think about it. The end of one year is here and a new one is approaching.

There is nothing but 365 clean days ahead. No bad history. No sorrow. Nothing but a clean slate.

Realizing the opportunity that lies ahead, you start thinking not just about the possibilities, but the chance to make a fresh start.

Friends are making New Year’s resolutions. Social media is full of uplifting posts and images. And before you know it, someone is asking you what your New Year’s resolution is.

Fueled by good feelings and a sense that the new year will be better you make one.

Perhaps, it’s a change you really want to make in your life.

Maybe it’s something that’s been bothering you for a while… a bad habit you are ready to kick to the curb or a healthy change you truly want to implement.

Surrounded by the excitement of a new year and the pressure to declare how you are going to be better, you make a New Year’s resolution.

But you fail to make one crucial decision. In all the hype of declaring that New Year’s Resolution, you fail to plan HOW you are going to make this change.

Set New Year’s Goals Instead of Resolutions

As the saying goes, if you fail to plan you plan to fail.

Making a New Year’s resolution in and of itself is not a bad thing.

Deciding to get rid of a bad habit or add in a healthy one is never wrong.

But failing to plan for how you are going to make that change…. Well, that is just setting yourself up to be part of that 93% of failed New Year’s resolutions.

Setting yourself up for a New Year that quickly feels just as bad as, or even worse than, the previous one.

Setting Yourself Up For Success In The New Year

You see, a goal (or a New Year’s resolution), without a plan, is just a dream.

It’s simply nothing more than saying out loud what you would like to do if you can.

Yet a dream, followed up with both a goal and a plan is something you can do.

Change starts with a dream, whether that dream is to lose weight, exercise more, curb spending, pay off debt, take a vacation, or start a new business. None of these are bad things.

But in order for those dreams to become reality, you have to do more than wish them into existence. You have to take that dream and use it to set yourself up to achieve it.

And the best way to do that is to take that dream and map out how it can become a reality.

And that map? Well, that map is both your goal and your plan.

Creating A Plan For Your New Year’s Goal

Instead of starting this year by tossing out a New Year’s resolution, start your new year with a New Year’s goal.

It doesn’t matter what that goal is, that part is completely up to you.

And now that you have that goal, you need to write it down. You need to say it out loud. And you need to believe that you can reach that goal.

Yet that is not the end of the work because, in reality, that goal is the end of a process that you are going to start today.

By transitioning your New Year’s resolution into a New Year’s goal, you are setting yourself up for success because you are starting with the end in mind, one of the best things a goal-setter can do.

But you can’t just stop there because, in order to achieve your goal, you need to create a plan. Action steps that tell you exactly what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and by when will this be accomplished.

Maybe you want to lose 20-pounds by next year. Great! Now, how are you going to do that? Change in diet? Exercise? Do you need to talk with your doctor first?

Maybe you want to take that dream vacation over the summer? Fantastic! How much will it cost? When do you want to leave? How will you fund the trip? When are deposits needed to hold your reservations with airlines or hotels?

Is this the year you want to truly tackle your debt and get real about your finances? Wonderful! Do you have a budget? Do you know what budgeting is? Are you truly ready to take a hard look at spending habits and do the hard work?

Planning For Success In The New Year

If you want to succeed in your New Year’s goal, you are going to need to create a plan. A tangible yet fluid path that shows you how to get from where you are today to where you want to be in the future.

Creating your plan is not always going to be easy, and there will be times when you will watch to ditch it simply to return to the simplicity of life before.

Yet this plan will also help keep you on track. It will guide you and allow you to track your progress – something that is always motivating!

How you develop your plan, where you store it, and how you track your progress is completely up to you… although I have an amazing resource below to help!

But, you have to do it. You have to start with that dream, that item in your life you want to change, turn it into a goal (with a deadline), and break it down into manageable and trackable steps.

Otherwise, you simply have another New Year’s resolution that has a 92% chance of failing.

There Really Is A Better Way

I know how tempting it can be as the clock draws near to a new year to set a New Year’s resolution.

But this year, if you really want to do better… if you truly want to do more with the next 365 days… take that resolution to the next level and set yourself up for a greater chance of success.

Transition that resolution to a goal, and create a plan that walks you step by step towards that goal so next December you can see just how much you did with your 2021.

Happy New Year!

Ready To Start Setting New Year’s Goals?

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“All progress starts with a plan” Image source: https://www.facebook.com/daveramsey/photos/a.135002570885/10154589143045886/?type=3&theater