Why people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions

Why do people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions?

Among the reported 92% of people who fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions, there are many different reasons. A quote summarizes well why people fail:

“Shooting for the moon can be so psychologically daunting, you end up failing to launch in the first place.” —Forbes

Even if you launch your plan on January 1st, there’s a good chance that you will fail if you are among the large number of people who are:

1. Lacking a good initial assessment
2. Setting unrealistic goals / Setting too many goals
3. Missing the right mindset
4. Losing track of their progress (or not tracking it at all)

The New York Times reports that resolutions often fail because they are not the right resolutions. Most of the time, a resolution is created based on what someone else (our society) tells us. The goal is too vague, and there isn’t a realistic plan to achieve it.

If the list of excuses can be extended, one question remains: What is the secret of the 8% of people who succeed?

New Year’s resolutions and Comfort Zone Shake-Up

Drawings by Melinda Walker – One Squiggly Line Visual Thinking