Congratulations, you made it. 2021 is finally over and now it’s time to make resolutions for the new year.
For all intents and purposes, it’s a great start. But new year resolutions are precisely that – great to start the year with, just really hard to keep up after.
A poll of 2,000 Americans found that it takes just 32 days for the average person to break their resolution(s).
Bill Belichick was asked whether he had any New Year’s Resolutions:
His answer: pic.twitter.com/x2pyFqJXpv
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 26, 2021
I guess keeping mum about your goals for the new year might not be such a bad idea after all.
If you are serious about 2022, and want to include last year’s resolutions which you couldn’t keep anyway, you better hold that thought, because doing so might set you up for further failure.
It’s plenty hard to keep new promises, let alone unfulfilled ones over the years. If anything, you should aim for a shorter list, not a longer one.
Why do most new year resolutions fail?
Action not Intention
The intention of setting a goal, whether it’s for the new year or not, is not going to matter if you don’t take action.
Are you making these new year resolutions simply because of tradition?
Does your list of unkept resolutions keep growing larger with the passing of each year?
To achieve any lasting and positive change, it’s important that you commit to taking active steps towards your resolution.
Every now and then, people seek me out for fitness advice. They usually start with a bold statement like wanting to lose weight in the coming year.
I typically offer two questions in response. How much? And, why now?
When you fail to be specific in your goals, you can’t plan specific actions to achieve them.
Losing weight is an ambitious goal. It takes a lot of hard work and even more patience.
Breaking down a goal keeps it from becoming overwhelming. Aiming to lose a certain amount of weight each week allows you to set up a diet and workout plan that will support that goal.
When small actions prompt bigger actions, it often leads to progress.
Practice Yesterday
As I’ve said so many times, practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent.
My fight camps were designed specifically to prepare for my opponents. We would spend hours upon end on the mats, going through every single scenario and practicing my response.
It wasn’t perfect but more times than not, it got the job done.
Just like my training sessions, your new year resolutions need practice. Don’t walk into 2022 blind and cold. You risk losing your confidence even before you start.
Instead, practice your resolutions before the new year begins. Some of your new goals may cause big changes in your routine. Use this time to adjust and get a hang of things.
It’s better to get uncomfortable early. That way, when you face difficulties later, which you inevitably will, you can better respond to them.
Just because you fail early does not make your goal any less worthwhile. Instead, you should take this as a positive encouragement, because nothing worth doing is ever easy.
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Start Today
There is no better time to start than now. Don’t wait any longer, just take that first step today.
Have you heard of the saying ‘It’s never too late to start’?
Trust me, if you are to achieve anything meaningful in your life, that will not be the mindset or attitude that accompanies your success.
I don’t mean to disregard anyone’s ambitions, regardless of age.
However, I have noticed that simply being complacent is the reason why resolutions keep getting pushed forward to the new year. These unfulfilled goals are perpetually new year resolutions!
Until you take that first step, they will remain that way.
As unnerving as it may seem, you need to have a sense of urgency. It will galvanize you into action and force you to confront what’s stopping you from doing so.
And if you had taken my earlier advice and practiced beforehand, you would be more prepared for the unexpected headed your way.
You will fail often. But if you start today, you stand a better chance of accomplishing those new year resolutions.
It’s okay to fail early, so long as you are failing forward on the way to your goals!
With all that said, what are your resolutions this coming year? Also, how do you plan to achieve them?
I’d love to hear from you.
Good luck and here’s to a happy new year everyone!