How To Keep Your New Years Resolutions — 5 Ways To Never Fail Again
The studies are clear.
80% of people can’t stick to their New Years Resolutions, and it's perplexing because it's something society keeps going back to year after year…and we keep getting the same results.
Failure.
What was it Einstein said?
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
A study by Bupa and ComRes in the UK asked 2,014 adults about their New Years Resolutions in November 2015.
Topics relating to improving health accounted for the top three resolutions. And of that group of people, 66% said it lasted one month or less. 12% of people said they managed to keep a resolution. [1]
So how do you get different results when it comes to your New Years Resolutions?
1. Don’t Set A New Years Resolution
It's too simple, right? But if you don’t set one you can’t fail at it. Now I am not saying don’t implement change. Of course, I want you to become the best version of you that you possibly can be. But how many times in your life have you had a New Years Resolution and failed at it.
Then you do it again next year.
And fail again.
Your story, in fact, everyone’s story relating to New Years Resolutions is one of failure, and therefore when you set one, you will be looking through the lens of failure. Not success.
If I told you to not think of a huge pink elephant…
Then if I showed you a picture of the huge pink elephant…and still asked you not to think about it…
You aren’t going to succeed in not thinking about it.
Stop focusing your brain on something that has taught you failure too many times, and if you want to implement change then focus your brain on to something that triggers success and align your change to that success.
2. Get a Stress Ball
Any habit change is a test of Willpower, and Stress Balls have been proven to improve willpower. Participants were told they had to drink a “Vinegar Health Tonic” and those who were on tiptoes, clenching their calves drank more of said tonic. Another group as they were flexing their Biceps said they would be far less likely to break their diet.
According to the researchers “Steely Muscles led to a Steely resolve” however…you have to want the outcome.
Researchers also found that those who drank more of the tonic also viewed fitness as a virtue.
So for this to work, you must want what your New Years Resolution is working towards…and I don’t mean…“Yeah, it’d be nice”. You have to literally be resolved against it…and that means accepting a period of willful suffering whilst you allow yourself to change.
3. The Two Minute Rule
Resolutions tend to focus on the long term result. Not the process, and building your process is more important than the long term result.
Think of giving yourself a 2-minute rule as explained by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits.
Because in truth the action doesn’t succeed or fail when you are doing it. It succeeds or fails just before. Therefore you need to lower your point of entry in order to make it something you do. If you got to the gym. Did two minutes and realized it wasn’t your day…then you can leave.
The act of getting there, being there and experiencing it will strengthen your ability to do it again. And doing it, again and again, will make it stick and grow.
Eventually, if you give yourself enough opportunity to grow you will succeed.
4. Focus on the Process
New Years Resolutions traditionally focus on the end result.
- Lose 2 stone
- Eat Clean (yawn!)
- Travel more
- Get Healthy
This list is all result focussed. How are you going to achieve these things?
How do you Lose 2 stone? Maybe start with 1lb and repeat that process over and over.
Eat Clean, although I can’t stand the premise, in truth is add more vegetables to your dinner each day.
Travel More…in order to do that…you should probably save more and plan your vacations from work for the year.
Get Healthy…becomes…go for more walks and build the habits of a healthy person.
Once you get yourself working on the process the result will take care of itself, and you will find building up slowly far more sustainable than going all out on Jan 01st.
5. Realize its a new YEAR resolution
Why the rush? Why does everyone want to do their resolution on Jan 01st? And hit their goal by February 01st.
A year is 12 months. You have that long to achieve your New Year Resolution. When clients ask me about them I give them this strategy.
Pick one resolution and get that mastered. Then move onto the next one. And then the next one come September or October. It doesn’t matter how long it takes. If by the end of year you have only mastered two of your new years resolutions…that's a lot better than failing by February 01st on all five.
Adam Berry is a Personal Trainer known as The Gym Starter. He works online with clients and has appeared in National Media in the UK in relation to his fitness work.
To find out more please head to www.thegymstarter.com
References:
- Comresglobal.com. 2020. BUPA New Year Resolution Survey « Savanta Comres. [online] Available at: <https://comresglobal.com/polls/bupa-new-year-resolution-survey/> [Accessed 26 July 2020].
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