Why don’t New Year’s resolutions work?

Consider the ideas below that explore what inhibits successful behaviour change and how to effectively in-still long lasting changes. Ultimately, by implementing effective habit formation, you can enjoy success well beyond the new year balloons coming down.

 

5 key reasons that negatively effect our chances of getting a New Year’s resolution to stick – long term, and solutions to these barriers.

Slow and steady habit change might not be sexy, but it’s a lot more effective than the “I want it ALL and I want it NOW!” mentality. Visit our article on the ‘Tiny Habit Method’ for the how to of habit formation.

2. You don’t believe in yourself – A failure to act can cripple you before you leave the starting line. If you’ve tried (and failed) to set a New Year’s resolution (or several) in the past, it often makes it hard to believe in yourself. Who cares if you’ve failed before? This year, you can try again, with the help of the article above.

3. Too much thinking, not enough doing – The best self-help book in the world can’t save you if you fail to take action. Yes, seek inspiration and knowledge, but only as much as you can realistically apply to your life. If you can put just one thing you learn from every book or article you read into practice, you’ll be on the fast track to success.

4. You don’t enjoy the process – Most goals are not a destination, but a journey of behaviours. Even if you have a measurable goal (which is highly encouraged), sometimes external circumstances influence your ability to meet it. This doesn’t mean that you haven’t made progress. Adopt a growth mindset and understand the entire journey, good or bad, is all part of the experience.

5. You know your what but not your why – You can’t set realistic goals without values. 

Values are our guideposts. They determine what’s most important in our lives and we tend to spend the majority of our time serving them.

If fitness and health are a value, you may have a gym membership and different sneakers for every workout.

Values are not “shoulds.” A “should” is something that usually comes from societal pressure — “I should spend more time volunteering” or “I shouldn’t drink more than one glass of wine.” Often these “shoulds” become our goals, not because they’re important to us, but because we create a belief around them (e.g., doing this will make me a better person, or healthier, or liked).

Therefore, being true to your values, that align with your true goals, will ensure success.