The #1 Reason New Years Resolutions Fail
Learn the #1 reason New Years resolutions fail and implement these 3 actionable strategies to confidently crush your goals.
Did you make a New Year’s resolution?
According to YouGov the top reported New Year’s resolutions are exercising more (50%), saving money (49%), eating better, (43%) and losing weight (37%).
Stop right now and pause before you read any more.
Take a minute and say your New Year’s resolution out loud.
Or write it down on a piece of paper.
Better yet send yourself a text with your resolution.
Do it.
Right now.
Because I am about to tell you what you did wrong.
Before I do that I want you to answer these questions as you look at the goal you have written down.
- Is there a number?
- Is there a preposition (in, at, by, with, for, through)?
- Is there a proper noun (person, place or thing)?
If you answered “no” to those questions then your goal, statistically speaking, will not make it past January 14th.
14 days.
That is it.
After 14 days most people give up on their New Year’s Resolution.
The #1 reason New Year’s resolutions fail is that they are NOT specific enough.
Whether your goal is to save more money, improve your relationship with your spouse, or lose weight, I am going to give you 3 actionable strategies to set a goal that you can conquer with confidence.
The #1 Reason New Years Resolutions Fail
#1. Add a concrete number to your goal.
Let’s use the number one reported New Year’s resolution according to last year’s poll as an example of this strategy.
“I will exercise more.”
What does “more” mean? This could be anything from every day in 2021 or once a week.
Add a number.
“I will exercise 3 days a week.”
See the difference here?
Ambiguity has now been replaced with an attainable number that fixes a point for accountability.
The #1 Reason New Years Resolutions Fail
#2. Add the word “by”.
This is not a lesson in English grammar, but a way of considering how to better flesh out your goal.
For example.
“I will exercise 3 days a week by doing 30 min workouts at home.”
And again, do you see what happened?
By adding a prepositional phrase with the word “by” you are fleshing out more details that can be planned for and thought through.
You are creating a goal that now is actionable.
If you have not started adding these to the goal you wrote down do it now because strategy 3 will take a little more research.
The #1 Reason New Years Resolutions Fail
#3. Add the word “with” a person, place or thing.
Add the word “with” and then a person, place or thing that will help you to attain this goal because chances are good you have tried this goal in the past and have not succeeded.
This results in accountability.
“I will exercise 3 days a week by doing 30 minute workouts at home with P90x30.“
“I will cut my need for anxiety medication by 50% by consistent exercise and proper nutrition with the FASTer Way to Fat Loss.”
“I will save $10 a week by no longer buying Starbucks with the help of Dave Ramsey’s course.”
This is a simple idea to take your goal for 2021 and create a specific, actionable plan to set yourself up for success.
Here is one of mine.
“I will shred my abs and strengthen my core by adding an ab workout 3 days a week and maintaining 2 days a week of carb-cycling with Zach for 6 weeks.“
Mine is very specific, but I have described how I will accomplish this, with whom, and the time frame in which to commit.
The #1 Reason New Years Resolutions Fail
Set a timeline of 6 weeks.
A frequently cited research study done in 2009 from University College in London introduced new habits to 96 people over the space of 12 weeks.
The study concluded that it took approximately 9.5 weeks for a new habit to become automatic and the individual time frames ranged from 18 days to 254 days!
The point is this. Set a time frame that is short enough you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but long enough to see some improvement.
For any goal I recommend 6 weeks.
That being said in order for new habits to truly become a way of living I recommend a disciplined approach for at least 12 weeks.
Here is what I want you to do. Save this post. Pin it to Pinterest. Email it to yourself. Save it on your Facebook. Whatever you need to do and start working through these 3 steps. Or do it now and text yourself.
Set yourself up for SUCCESS and do not expect perfection but progress. Give yourself grace WHEN you make a mistake because you will, but do it better next time and quit the excuses..
I cannot help you with your savings goals, but if you are looking to “exercise more”, “eat healthier” or “lose weight” then I highly encourage you to join me for my next 6 week round of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss.
I would love to hear your goal or share with me how this has helped you set YOUR New Years resolution! I would love to celebrate YOU!
Pin any of the images below for later!
I love this! Very practical strategies. It reminds me of the goal-setting we do at the school where I work, where we have a very specific goal, with “lead measures,” which are smaller steps that will lead to the larger goal. Being vague has helped me to set a direction, but being specific definitely has gotten me better results.
I found my way here from Wonderful Wednesday. 🙂
I love that Bethany! That’s such a great point!