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New Years' Resolution
New Year’s Resolutions: Why They Fail and How to Succeed
Let me tell you what you want to know about New Year’s resolutions.
Most New Year’s resolutions fail. Research confirms that only around 8% of people actually succeed with their resolutions by the end of the year (Norcross, Mrykalo, & Blagys, 2002). The rest of us, including me, often just get back into our old routines. It’s like we wanted to try something new, but we did not like it. I hate setting a goal or assigning a task for myself and then failing to accomplish it, and I am sure you do too.
But why do New Year’s resolutions fail? How can we avoid that trap of failure and the disappointment that follows?
I have always found this topic interesting because I used to think that strong willpower was all we needed. However, research suggests that only a small group of people actually stick to their resolutions by the end of the year. After thinking about it and reading plenty of studies, I now believe that the problem is not only with setting big goals but also with failing to maintain our new habits. The following points are what I found in why we fail and how to make all or lets say most of our new year’s resolutions succeed: