The Problem With New Years Resolutions

We’re approaching that time of year when people begin chirping about New Years resolutions. Typically a resolution is a personal goal you set for yourself that you’ll religiously do every day in the coming calendar year.  As we all know, resolutions are more of a joke since it seems more times than not, people don’t actually follow through.

I’m not going to explain techniques on how to create the right resolution, or even try to explain how to follow through with it.  Instead I’ll explain why resolutions don’t make sense.  But to simply explain why they’re bad isn’t good enough.  Nothing is more unappealing than telling somebody there’s a problem without offering a solution.  Having said that, below are three reasons why resolutions are bad, and one resounding solution to this nonsense!

Reason #1 – Creates Procrastination

Let’s say you decide on December 17th your New Years resolutions is to exercise at least 30 minutes every day.  Does that mean you don’t exercise at all until the New Year?  Perhaps waking up at 6am to workout seemed like a great idea in mid-December, but by January 1st may not seem so appealing. By creating a resolution that you agree to start sometime in the future, you run a risk. The longer an idea wanes without taking action, the less motivated you’ll be to accomplish what you set out to do.  

Reason #2 – Allows Failure to be an Option

It’s January 1st and you’re ready to attack the 30 minute daily workout routine head on! Unfortunately by mid-January your flaming passion for exercise has mysteriously vanished.  At that point you say the magical words, “well there’s always next year”.  The second your resolution begins to slip, you think the resolution for the year is a lost cause.  Resolutions can create this feeling.  The moment we slip up, we may as well give up and wait for next year.

Reason #3 – Bad Timing

Think long and hard about New Years Day.  It’s likely you’re either on vacation, with family, or away from home.  Maybe you had too much fun New Years Eve, and therefore the thought of exercising the following day sounds like your worst nightmare.  Why is it that we decide to begin resolutions on a day when most of us are not in our daily routines?  In a way, we are setting ourselves up for failure.

The Solution

This is very simple.  Start your resolution today!  This means as soon as you finish reading this paragraph.  Don’t wait for New Years or sometime in the future.  There will never be a perfect time. The moment you come up with a resolution is the same day you should start it.  Take swift and immediate action towards whatever it is you’re aspiring to accomplish.  And if you slip up, realize this is not a one year challenge but an ongoing lifetime pursuit.  The world is your oyster, so get after it!

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