There must be a reason why year after year some people find themselves in a similar position. The Wall Street Journal says more than 88 per cent of New Year resolutions don’t materialise, and this is why…
Giving up to soon
One of the number one reasons resolutions fail is because people give up too soon. So many people tend to try out difficult tasks for a short period and they stop after a few weeks. It becomes difficult to continue in the long term. On the contrary, most of us like to delay doing hard things such as having that difficult conversation or getting medical assistance. It’s just so much easier to ignore it or procrastinate. The rumour around the block is that you could try again next year. That’s not what we want though.
Lack of commitment
If you are not committed to achieving the goals in your 2024 resolutions, then it will be hard to achieve them. Many people think they are committed to their goals, so they are highly motivated for a couple of weeks until their old habits set in. Nevertheless, a lack of commitment is usually due to a lack of consistency, which results to falling into old habits of procrastination. It is not wise to just set a New Year resolution just to write something down or feel productive. If you don’t give it your all, you will get mediocre results.
Wanting instant results
It is human nature to want to get the maximum benefits for the least amount of effort. This does not always work when it comes to achieving goals. Patience is the foundation of most good habits. It is not good to expect fast results too quickly. In fact, impatience can be due to the fact that they don’t want to put in too much effort in achieving their goals. At any rate, it is an opportune time to assess if the aspirations that are written on your New Year’s resolutions are something that you are willing to work for.
Self-doubt
Another reason why these resolutions don’t always work out is because of self-doubt and personal limitations. Doubt is defined as the feeling of uncertainty about something. It is usually a result of anticipation of danger because it is perceived that we are putting ourselves in a situation in which we can be vulnerable or susceptible to attack. We are all learning on a journey called life and it is important to leave room for mistakes. Because that is how we learn, adapt, and grow. If we do not leave room for mistakes, then we can easily be overcome by fear.
Fear of failure or success
The fear of failure is also known as atychiphobia. It is the perceived idea that you may be looked down on after a failure. The fear of failure is actually the fear of shame. On the other hand, the fear of success is being afraid of achieving. We worry about the fact that we won’t measure up to our own expectations or the expectations of others. Ultimately, all of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives. The fear of failure can look like telling other people beforehand and not to expect too much, procrastinating and running out of time, feeling at something, and having a hard time bouncing back.
Lack of passion
If you do not care about the thing you are trying to achieve, then there is a low chance that you will achieve it. No one willingly goes through hardships to achieve something they don’t want. For example, in order to get a certain body aesthetic, such as toned muscles, it would require long days of training, changing the frequency and types of things that we eat, getting more sleep, taking supplements, and training for months. No one will willingly wake up at 4am to train for muscles that they do not want. Make sure that your aspirations in your New Year’s resolutions are something that you are interested in and are willing to sacrifice comfort to achieve.
Other people’s opinion
Being overly worried about other people’s opinions is another reason why new calendar resolutions don’t always work out. As social beings, human beings tend to want other humans to accept and recognise them. When you are over-invested in how other persons perceive you, it will affect the way in which you achieve your personal goals. It hinders choices, limits creative freedom, and creates unnecessary anxiety. Over-investing in your need to be liked can also lead to a life of misery and sadness because you’re consistently trapped within the bubble of how other people find you. It is important to respect your own opinion, focus on the moment and figure out why you care in order to overcome outer influences.
Inaction on the resolution
Taking action on the goals that you set is one of the ways to actually achieve it. Sounds simple or, like common sense right? Well, not many people realise that when you set a goal for yourself it doesn’t just magically come into play. Manifestation is definitely a valued method, however even this requires some point of action or personal involvement. Taking action requires some measure of involvement and changing of your mindset. Things don’t necessarily have to come through. This is especially true if you aren’t focused on the goal.
Distractions
Focus can be difficult when faced with so many distractions. It’s easy to get distracted in the flow of life. We often forget or overlook the things that we want to achieve. This doesn’t mean that plans cannot be changed or morphed, but rather focus can mean the difference between success and failure.
Poor time management
Failure to manage time correctly can affect the way in which you achieve goals. Not being able to see the end product and plan effectively can affect the way in which you operate day-to-day basis. It’s important to organise your activities in a way that you are maximising your efforts in a way that’s healthy to achieve goals. Poor time management also results in procrastination, unhealthy behaviour, and missed timelines.
