Why Your New Year’s Resolutions Fail
It’s a ritual: every January, millions of people set New Year’s resolutions, vowing that THIS will be the year they finally lose weight, quit smoking, or achieve their biggest goals. But by February, most of those resolutions have been abandoned. In fact 93 percent will have given up before the end of January.
Why do these well-intentioned goals so often fail, and how can you make your resolutions actually stick?”
Resolutions Lack Clarity
Many resolutions fail because they are too vague or poorly defined.
Goals like “get in shape” or “be more productive” sound good, but they’re too broad to be actionable. Without clear, specific steps, losing focus or motivation is easy.
If your resolution is to get healthier, what does that really mean? Does it mean exercising every day? Eating fewer carbs? When goals are too broad, you don’t know where to start or how to measure success, making it easy to give up.
Unrealistic Expectations
People often set goals that are too ambitious, which sets them up for failure.
Resolutions tend to be big, sweeping goals that are exciting at first, but the excitement quickly fades when the goal feels impossible to reach. When progress doesn’t come as fast as expected, many people quit.
If you haven’t been to the gym in months, setting a goal to work out daily may be too extreme. When the initial motivation fades, and you miss a day, it’s easy to get discouraged and quit entirely.
Lack of a Plan
Without a detailed action plan, resolutions tend to fail because there’s no roadmap to follow.
A resolution is just an idea without a plan to back it up. When people don’t break their goals into small, actionable steps, they quickly feel overwhelmed or unsure how to progress.
Let’s say your resolution is to save more money. You’re less likely to follow through if you don’t have a specific plan, like cutting back on certain expenses or setting up automatic savings transfers.
Relying Too Much on Willpower
People often assume that willpower alone will carry them through their resolutions.
Willpower is a limited resource, and it’s easy to fall back into old habits when it runs out. Relying solely on willpower without addressing underlying habits or mindsets is a recipe for failure.
You might feel highly motivated to stick to a new diet at the beginning of the year. But after a few weeks, when stress and cravings kick in, willpower starts to fade. Without a deeper strategy, most people revert to old eating patterns.”
Subconscious Beliefs Sabotage Success
People often fail to address the subconscious beliefs that are holding them back.
Even with the best intentions, if your subconscious mind holds limiting beliefs like “I don’t deserve success” or “I’ll never be able to change,” you’re likely to self-sabotage. These ingrained beliefs can only be changed with more profound work, such as hypnosis or mindset coaching.
Someone might set a goal to earn more money, but if they subconsciously believe that wealth is only for certain types of people, they will unknowingly sabotage opportunities or avoid taking action toward that goal.
No Accountability or Support System
It’s easier for you to let resolutions slide when things get tough without accountability.
You’re more likely to stick to your goals when you have someone to hold you accountable. This could be a coach, an accountability partner, or even just a supportive community. Without this, it’s easier to justify quitting.
Think about how many times you’ve promised yourself you’d go to the gym but found an excuse to stay home. Now imagine if you had a friend waiting for you at the gym every morning. Accountability makes a big difference in sticking to your goals.
Failure to Address Emotional Triggers
Emotional triggers like stress, fear, or self-doubt can derail even the best resolutions.
People often fail to account for the emotional challenges of making changes. Stressful situations, fear of failure, or feelings of unworthiness can trigger old habits and cause resolutions to fall apart.
If your resolution is to stop emotional eating, but you don’t address the underlying stress or anxiety driving that behavior, you’ll likely revert to overeating when life gets tough.
Lack of Immediate Rewards
Resolutions often fail because the benefits feel too far away, while the effort is immediate.
Many people abandon resolutions because the reward for sticking to them is delayed. Humans are wired to prefer immediate gratification, so long-term goals can lose their appeal when the reward isn’t immediately visible.
If your resolution is to lose weight, the effort you put into exercising and eating well may not show up on the scale for weeks or months. This delayed gratification can make it hard to stay motivated when the results feel too far off.
Old Habits Die Hard
People often underestimate how deeply ingrained their old habits are, making change difficult.
Your habits are powerful because they operate on autopilot. Trying to change a habit without understanding how habits form and how to replace them can lead to frustration and failure.
If your resolution is to stop smoking, but you haven’t addressed the triggers or routines that lead you to light up in the first place, it’s easy to fall back into old patterns, even when you’re committed to quitting.”
How to Make Resolutions Stick
Set Specific, Achievable Goals – In my soon-to-be-published book “ASPIRE,” I mention the importance of making your goals incredibly detailed and specific. As Tony Robbins used to say, “If you tell me your goal is to make more money, I’ll give you a quarter and say, ‘There, mission accomplished.”
Create a Plan – The P is ASPIRE stands for planning. Break your goals into smaller, manageable steps with specific timelines. This makes the resolution less overwhelming and gives a clear roadmap to follow.
Reprogram Limiting Beliefs – Address subconscious beliefs that might sabotage success through hypnosis, coaching, or mindset work.
Build Accountability – Yep. The A in ASPIRE is for accountability. Find an accountability partner or coach to help you stay on track and provide support when motivation wanes.
Celebrate Small Wins – Guess what the R in ASPIRE stands for? Yep. Reward. Reward yourself for small successes along the way to maintain motivation and momentum.
Conclusion
Don’t let another year go by where your resolutions fizzle out. By addressing the deeper issues behind why resolutions fail and using tools like hypnosis and coaching to reprogram your mind and create lasting habits, you can make this year the year of real, lasting change. Ready to make resolutions that stick? Let’s talk about how I can help.
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