Each January, millions of people make commitments on vastly different things. Some make personal growth commitments, while others focus on making goals revolving around their loved ones. However, by mid-February, many resolutions are tossed and forgotten about. Studies suggest that a majority of New Year’s resolutions fail, usually due to overly ambitious goals and a lack of planning. 

The biggest problem is that many people tend to set goals that are overreaching, and hard to maintain for extended periods of time without feeling the need to tap out. For example, many people make goals to lose weight, or start working out more often. Thus, gyms tend to be increasingly packed in the early days of January to the middle of February and gradually decline as the months progress. This suggests that people stop sticking to their goals because they get distracted with other things, or just do not have the motivation to pursue them any longer.

A common misconception with making these New Year’s resolutions is relying on willpower alone. Consistency is key in creating a habit of these goals, and without consistency and motivation there will be no desire to continue with them. Maintaining that consistency can be tough when resolutions lack structure.   

Continuously, life can also interfere with new habits. A resolution that might entail eating healthy consecutively throughout the week might fall through if you don’t have enough energy to cook one day, or aren’t able to make it to the store. Normally, when a person has been inconsistent with a goal that they have set for themselves for a few days, they tend to give up and resort to old habits. Sometimes, they feel like the standard that they set themselves at is not attainable because they were not consistent. 

The good news is that even if resolutions fail, all is not lost. It is possible to use setbacks as learning opportunities rather than abandoning the goals altogether. Resolutions do not have to start at the start of the new year, they can start anytime. It’s the persistence that will actually end up counting.