Why Your New Years Resolutions Are Failing

We show you the reasons for why your resolutions never work out and how you can set better goals for yourself

We’ve all been at the point, probably sometime in January or February, where we think – “Oh man, I’m failing my resolutions for the year already!”. But why do we tend to fail them. Why can’t we keep the motivation up for more than just a week or two. And why do we have to start in January specifically. Or do we? We will provide you with tips for changing your mindset as well as accomplishing concrete goals.

The thing about new years

To be honest, I have never been a fan of New Years. The party planning that starts in November already, all the expectations, the FOMO when it comes to choosing where to go and of course all the questions about your resolutions. Quite cynically, I saw it as a mere change of dates. But this time it was different. I had a rough year behind me. Lots of changes and health issues in my family. I was really excited to start into a new year. And I gave into the new year, new me idea. Don’t get me wrong, I was fine with who I was before, but I was in a somewhat depressed mood all of December, when reflecting on the past year. So how did I start to make a change?

Manifesting

Manifesting is a real trend at the moment. All over social media you find tips and tricks on how to manifest your whole life, whether it is your career, love life or your education. It always seemed kind of sketchy to me. My parents taught me that you have to work hard to achieve your dreams. Just telling myself everything will be fine and how I wanted seemed way too easy. And to be frank, it is probably not the whole story. Anyway, I started to write things down, that I wanted to have in my life by that time next year. I made several lists, some concerning my career goals, some more private ones. Really there are no limits, just put everything down that you wish for, much like you did as a kid, when Santa was coming. Just like the things you want to have, you then move on to the things you want to leave behind. Then ideally you somehow destroy these lists. Throw them away, tear them up, or even burn them. This physical finale should have an additional effect on you moving on.

Gratitude & Self love

Especially when it comes to goals you set for your self, that aren’t measurable or in your direct scope of influence, it is important to look at what you already have in your life. This will improve your mood regardless of what time of the year it is. Saying you wish to find a partner. Of course, you can put yourself out there, approach people, socialize. But in the end, there is a lot of luck and coincidence involved, when finding love. So just take a moment and reflect on what you already have. You have friends you love, you have a family that is always there for you, and you have yourself. Especially the last one is something really important to remember. Treat yourself like you would treat your lover. Be kind and be present when spending time with yourself. This will also reduce the need to be around someone else constantly.

Start slow & Be reasonable

So what if your resolutions sound more like, I want to become fitter, I want to lose weight, I want to become a better painter, or I want to learn a new language. Of course, you can start with manifesting these things, but in the end that won’t do the trick. You have to make a plan for yourself, and that should be as easy as possible for you to achieve. If you haven’t worked out in the last 10 months, you probably won’t go to the gym 5 times a week from now on. If that is your goal, you are already bound to fail. Start slow, maybe start with two times a week, and build from there. Make it a habit, and that will take time. Studies suggest that it usually takes up to 2 months for your behaviors to become sort of automatic or a habit.

Staying on track

All those tips are really helpful, and I strongly believe that most of us are even successful with some of their resolutions at the beginning. But somehow the motivation always seems to fade quite quickly, doesn’t it? We’ve gathered some tips for you that will keep you on track for longer.

• Tell people – with that, you create a responsibility to not give up immediately
• Don’t try to change overnight – like mentioned above, you won’t become a pro athlete after one run, and you probably won’t enjoy the process of getting into a routine. Discipline is the key factor here.
• Be honest to your self – If you set yourself the same goal since high school and failed every single year, it may not be the thing for you. Not everyone needs to go to the gym. If you enjoy running, or playing some kind of sport with your friends, rather stick to that and try to become regular with it.
• Set priorities – If you really want to lose that extra five pounds, you probably have to say no to one or the other drink or pizza. That doesn’t mean that you can’t attend social gatherings anymore, but maybe it would be easier to set back a little. Making a difference between weekdays and the weekend might be an easy way to find a balance.
• Be kind – Nobody is perfect. And if you fail one week, it doesn’t mean that you failed your whole project. Sometimes we just get frustrated by one little thing. Doing something 80% or even 60% right is better than not doing it at all.

So with all those tips, we are sure you can give your resolutions another try. You can start any day you want, at any time of day. Just stay disciplined and believe in yourself.

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