Every year when January 1st rolls around, you tend to hear two phrases: Happy New Year! Followed by the question, “What’s your new year’s resolution?” After all, what better time to change into a “new you” than a new year? According to research, about half of all Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Yet some estimates put rates of failure at over 90%.
Why do we feel so compelled to schedule a change like it’s going to the movies? And how does that get in the way of making them work? Here are some reasons why:
The cart before the horse: Definitions of resolution include a “firm decision to do something” or “the action of solving a problem”. So popular resolutions like saving money or losing weight seem like ideal choices. But a resolution is more like the end result of the process of figuring out the problem, not the starting point. It’s easier to say, “I want to lose weight” than to understand out what’s contributing to weight gain – like diet, finances, family history or lifestyle factors. Before you make a resolution, put some time into understanding the nature of what your want to change about yourself or your life.
What’s my motivation? Motivation can be essential to making change. When resolutions fail, it’s often blamed on a lack of motivation. This notion of motivation makes it sounds like a fixed, measurable entity – either you have it or you don’t. Noted researchers on change Prochaska & DiClemente define motivation as “the probability that a person will enter into, continue and adhere to a change strategy.” Looking at motivation this way recognizes that while it can wane, you can also build it up and sustain it.
Coming up with a resolution isn’t the solution to your concern, it’s a step towards achieving growth through change. If you had to pick something that you’ve been working to change to focus on this year, what would it be? Feel free to comment in the comments section below!
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You Say You Want a Resolution?
How To Turn New Year Resolutions Into Permanent Change
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3 comments
I loved this post! My difficulty often is that I start working hard in January towards my goals/resolution, but struggle to maintain my motivation throughout the year. Does anyone else have that issue? Do people have tips for how to stay motivated on a long-term goal all year long?
I agree with sam that it is very difficult to maintain motivation all year on the same goal. Something that works for me is to break the larger goal up into different stages that you can work on, one at a time, throughout the year. Breaking it up into smaller goals and different stages helps keep my motivation because I feel good each time I accomplish a small part of the goal, and then my motivation increases to continue onto the next stage!
I wonder if writing the long term goal down and putting in somewhere you look every day (on the fridge, next to your bed…) would help motivate?
I like what Nikki is suggesting about segmenting changes into smaller achieving goals. In addition it’s helpful to look at how we think about motivation, since building and maintaining motivation is such a key component when it comes to change. Motivation is more fluid than fixed, and sometimes it’s high and sometimes it wanes. Think of it as a plant that you tend to and keep feeding and growing.
If you’re already taking steps to make a change, it’s essential to recognize and validate what you’ve accomplished in order to build on your successes. If the struggle is to build motivation, write down the reasons why you wanted to make a change as well as the barriers to moving forward. Then write out the flip side of what makes it easier to stay in the same place. Take the conversation out of your head! It’s also important to have one or two people you can turn to for support or as a sounding board. Let them know if you want feedback or just someone to listen to you.