“What the new year brings to you depends a great deal on what you bring to the new year.” -Vern McLennan.
The challenges of the past year may have had you scoffing at the idea of creating New Year’s resolutions. As we sink into the first month of 2022, it’s essential to let the challenges we’ve all faced inspire us to stay safe and connected.
Successful and sustainable resolutions come with an action plan, no matter what time of year you set them. We’re offering some specific strategies and goal-setting tips that can help you actualize and keep those goals.
do new year's resolutions really work?
Many people roll their eyes at New Year’s resolutions—often, they end up being mere words that lack tangible follow-through. However, research shows that goal-setting is highly beneficial to mental and emotional health. Forty-six percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions keep them for about six months, while 8% keep them the entire year. This might seem like a small percentage, but the same body of research found that those who set New Year’s goals are ten times more likely to keep resolutions all year long when compared to those that don’t.1
Cultures across the globe incorporate days of reflection and commitment throughout the year. For example, Jewish people practice Yom Kippur, and many Christian denominations observe Lent. These are just two of many models, and though they all vary, the idea of recognizing actions and patterns we wish to change—and resolving to be better—reflects the same principles we can use when learning how to make and comply with New Year’s resolutions.
How to make and keep new year's resolutions
Setting New Year's resolutions might seem easy to most people, but consistency and compliance are significantly more complicated. However, you can create resolutions at any time of the year! While the transition into a new year is a great start, you can always develop new goals for yourself midway through the year or even just a few weeks into January. We’ve compiled several common goal-setting pitfalls you can aim to avoid, paired with ways to maintain your resolutions throughout the new year.
avoid setting unrealistic goals
Have you ever set goals that sound like this?
“I want to eat 1,500 calories per day."
“I want to run every day."
“I want to volunteer with X organization every weekend."
