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Keep Your New Year's Resolutions (by Changing Them Completely)

Getting down because you�re not keeping to the resolutions you made on January 1st? Making promises isn�t the answer; rethinking your goals and how you reach them is.

by Heather Setrakian, M.A.

It’s been two weeks since New Year’s Day--is anyone still keeping to their resolutions? Nearly half of all Americans make resolutions, but the number who are able to maintain their commitments dwindles as the year trudges onward. Past research has shown that a quarter of those sampled who made a resolution dropped it within the first week, and less than half still kept to their resolution after six months. Should those of us who dare to dream of self-change just throw our hands up and head for the chocolate?

Change is Easier when your Goals are Realistic

Maybe it’s time to redefine what we mean by “resolution.” Consider this factoid: according to modern theories of change, making a resolution means making repeated and modified attempts at change that eventually lead to success (Karoly & Anderson, 2000). True change can happen after recalibrating your original goals to keep them in line with reality and progress. Does your resolution seem unrealistic? Try breaking it down: even lofty goals often become manageable when broken down into smaller, realistic sub-goals. Or chuck the traditional idea of a resolution and opt for an “overall goal” approach. Often individuals play the shame game when they indulge just once, giving up and blaming themselves for their lack of resolve (instead of looking at the difficulty of abstinence). Modifying your strategies for realistic success will help keep you actively positioned toward your goal instead of falling back into a position of self-blame. If you do occasionally falter, you won’t view the whole operation as a failure and quit.

Reframe your Goals to increase Willpower

Research also shows that when you pair this active adjustment with positive thinking and reinforcement, you’re more likely to stick to your resolutions (Norcross, Mrykalo & Blagys, 2002). Reframing your goal as a series of positive milestones to meet instead of avoiding the negatives can keep you more motivated in the long run. For example, each week, instead of thinking, “I must not touch any sugar or skip the gym,” think of increasing your overall vegetable intake and minutes exercising. Need inspiration? When you can visualize success, you’re apt to have increased motivation, work harder, and ultimately perform better. Whether through more creative thinking, increased problem solving, or just the blood, sweat, and tears invested in the goal, creating a mental image of the future makes it seem more likely and helps to create a path to reality. Past research has shown that focusing on the process of achieving success (i.e., the steps you take to achieve a goal) as opposed to the desired outcome is more beneficial in increasing motivation (Pham & Taylor, 1999). In other words, if you want more money, imagine concrete steps you’d take in order to have it, as opposed to daydreaming wishfully about the fancy clothes and cars you’d buy. Also, imagining success is more likely to increase motivation when that imagined future is attainable, so imagining a corner office could make you work harder at your present job than, say, imagining yourself as a member of royalty (check your ancestry to be sure).

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