Why You Should Stop Making Resolutions

Let’s face it, resolutions rarely last. That’s why most of us don’t even bother making them anymore. And if you are part of the 40% of those who do, you might want to rethink it as well. (Unless, of course, you’re one of the few who had figured out how to make them stick!)

Before we dive into what you should do instead, let’s talk a bit about why they typically don’t work.

There are many reasons resolutions typically don’t stick, the most common reasons are:

I’ll share an example to explain these more simply.

Sharon wants to lose 50 pounds before her reunion next summer so she declares a resolution to start a diet after the holidays, exercise daily, and drink more water. 

January 2nd arrives she is determined to make this resolution stick and carefully plans out her meals according to her chosen diet, and goes on a long walk around the neighborhood.

The next day, she repeats her actions from the day before, but in mid-afternoon, she starts getting hungry and finds herself searching for a suitable snack when she realizes that she doesn’t have a “suitable snack” for her diet. But there is a small bag of chips. She thinks to herself, “just this once won’t matter, I’ll stop by the store later and pick up more suitable snacks for tomorrow”.

On day three she wakes up to a cold, snowy day. Ugh! It’s too nasty outside to go for a walk around the neighborhood and the roads are too dangerous to drive on, besides, who wants to go out in weather like that? So she doesn’t do her walk and she hasn’t been to the store.

By the time the storm lifts, Sharon has decided to try again in a week after she’s had a chance to prepare for her plan to lose weight. And by the time the week is up, she’s forgotten all about her resolution and settled back into her normal lifestyle.

Sound familiar? Now let’s break it down.

First off, losing 50 pounds within 5-6 months is certainly doable, but it is definitely not easy. (Yes, speaking from experience here!) It would have required an entire lifestyle change with plenty of planning and a strong support system in place. And like any lifestyle change, it also requires you to be self-motivated and have a determined and focused mindset to see it through.

This is why weight loss programs are so popular. They provide a plan and a support system as well as accountability measures and rewards to keep you motivated. They also break it down into small steps to keep you from becoming overwhelmed.

But when we’re deciding on a resolution, we rarely do any of this! Instead, we set a goal that is way too broad and unrealistic; we don’t establish a plan, let alone a backup plan; we rarely have the support we need so quickly lose motivation, and sub-consciously, we aren’t surprised that it didn’t work because resolutions never do.

First off, let’s get rid of the whole “resolution” mindset. When we think of resolutions, our mind immediately thinks “New Year’s”. So when the resolution fails sometime after the new year began, subconsciously, a part of us just gives up. So let’s rethink this whole idea!

Resolutions, like goals, are something in the future that you’d like to see happen. Yet our mind is conditioned to believe that we never really reach them, so while we outwardly may tell ourselves it’ll happen, deep inside we believe it never will.

Instead, let’s call it a vision. That immediately evokes a feeling of hope and inspiration. We’ve also removed the “deadline” that a resolution or goal typically carries, and therefore, it already feels easier to attain.

Now we can establish a plan, and to do that, we need to assess where we are right now. What do we currently have going for us that will help us move toward our vision, and what might be standing in the way? Who do we need to be? Who will help us stay focused and motivated? What old habits need to be replaced with new ones?

And finally, break it down into small steps. You’ve heard the old saying, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Well, this is no different.

The reality is, we develop patterns and habits that make up our lifestyle. These patterns and habits are imprinted in our brains. In order to change our lifestyle, we need to basically reprogram our brains to replace the old patterns and habits with new ones, and this takes time.

We didn’t establish these habits overnight, and we’re not going to change them overnight.
The good news is, we are constantly creating and changing habits without even knowing it, so imagine what we can create when we make a conscious decision to replace an old habit with a new one!

By changing your mindset and establishing a realistic plan, you can make meaningful lifestyle changes and make your vision become a reality.