It’s well known that New Year’s resolutions don’t have a high success rate. While many people opt to ditch the annual goal-setting event, about 40 to 45 percent of American adults set at least one resolution come New Year’s.
Unfortunately for many, the results turn into a pattern: January 1, we start off determined to follow through on our goals. Excited and energized, we think that this year will be different from the last, when our resolutions went by the wayside. But come February or even mid-January, the majority of us have abandoned our goals altogether.
So why do we continue to make resolutions every year even though so few of us follow through?
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We make resolutions to feel better about ourselves, but then end up making ourselves feel worse when we don’t accomplish them! What about trying to set more realistic, positive goals. Something like spending an hour a week catching up with an old friend on the phone? This doesn’t take a huge commitment and will make us feel good about our resolution when we accomplish it.
I love the start of a new year, plus the days are getting longer. Even if I don’t stick to resolutions perfectly, I stop eating cookies and holiday foods I don’t usually eat. I start with vegetable soups and huge salads, cut down cheeses and detox from cookies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels good.
The important thing is JUST DO IT!!! Since last year I’ve been using ucree.com to record and manage my goals…it’s the perfect tool. The HARD part is committing to doing it. The cool thing about this site is it emails your goals to you every 3 months… so WHEN you forget…BOOM! Your reminded. Good luck to all!
Great article that explains why many of us make resolutions. I’ve also discovered some people make resolutions to simply please others or get rid of guilt associated with say…. cigarette smoking or being overweight or not exercising regularly. Just the process of making the resolution seems to be sort of a cleansing process and whether they succeed or not doesn’t matter.
Many times, parents will push kids… particularly those who have behavior problems…into making New Year promises that they don’t buy into. This is a recipe for failure and a behavioral meltdown on the part of the child.
For more info on helping kids to make realistic New Year resolutions, you might want to take a look at this blog post:
http://mistakenforadhd.com/395/adhd-kids-and-new-year-resolutions/
Frank Barnhill, MD
Author Mistaken for ADHD