3 Reasons New Year’s Resolutions Fail
Top reasons why your goals for the new year fail!
Don't let these reasons derail your new years resolutions this year!
Reason #1: All or Nothing Thinking
Perfectionism is the enemy of progress. Not only does it paralyze you with procrastination, it makes failure seem final.
Just think about the last time you got off to a GREAT start in working towards a new goal. Many times, all it takes is one slip to get you off track…
You know what I’m talking about: that ONE missed day at the gym, that ONE day of cheating on your diet, that ONE day of sleeping in instead of getting up early…
It’s just one day right? So why do you let that ONE mistake undo ALL the work you’ve done over the past few days, or weeks?
This seems silly when you think about it. But perfectionism can distort our perception of failure. After all, once you’ve made ONE mistake, the possibility of absolute perfection is gone forever.
That makes your brain really uncomfortable, especially if you have high standards. Bottom line, all or nothing thinking is great while things are going well. Things seem “all good” and “all perfect,” and you’re on top of the world.
But the second things go bad, negative self-talk starts to fill your head. Guilt, shame and even depression follow. Next thing you know, you’re taking ANOTHER day off, then another, then another.
This is what all-or-nothing thinking can do. Don’t let it. Nothing worth doing is ever perfect. Just forgive yourself and get back on track as if the slip never happened.
Reason #2: Not Tracking Progress
Most people believe that writing down their goals it important. But very few people make it a habit to keep a written record of their progress. That’s one of the main differences between people who succeed and people who don’t.
Bottom line, you should always keep WRITTEN track of the progress you’re making with your goals. Always.
This solves two problems...
First, it gives you a clear picture of your past successes. This way, you have something to look at when you get overwhelmed by how far you still have to go until you reach your goal.
Ambitious people are quick to turn their attention towards the future, which is good. This often causes us to forget our past successes too soon. Writing them down will give you a reminder of how far you’ve come. It will stop perfectionism from paralyzing you.
Second, and more important, writing down your progress helps you turn failures into building blocks for success. Think about it. Failure is almost never random. It follows patterns of behaviors just like success does.
By writing down your progress, you’ll get a clear picture of what’s causing your “off days.” You might find a relationship between two areas of your life which you had no idea were even affecting one another.
What if ALL your off days at the gym were followed by nights when you didn’t go to bed on time? Or what if you found that you were more likely to give in to food cravings after spending too many days working late?
Failure provides life’s best learning experiences. But you can only learn from failure when you realize the patterns behind it.
Reason #3: Acting On Bad Information
No amount of hard work, intelligence or motivation can make up for bad information.
Imagine what would happen if your GPS was constantly giving you bad directions.
It wouldn’t matter how much gas you had, how good of a driver you were or how dependable your car was. You’d best lost 99% of the time. Likewise, not amount of willpower, enthusiasm, motivation or positive thinking can make up for incorrect thinking.
This problem is even more common today because of the internet. Some of the information online is great. But a lot of it isn’t. And that includes much of the information which seems right. Even information provided by assumed authorities can be bad information.
How do you know if you’re acting on bad information? Just think about one goal you’ve been stuck on for years. A goal you’ve repeatedly tried to accomplish, but you keep falling short
My guess is, you’re acting on bad information. Most likely, the information sounds right, but it’s not right.
The good news is, if you ARE acting on bad information, you might be closer to that elusive goal than you realize. That’s why it’s smart to talk to an expert. After all, bad information is usually the result of trying to save money by do something on your own instead of hiring an expert.
But armed with good information, you might be able to achieve that goal in a fraction of the time and with a fraction of the effort.
Wouldn’t that be nice?
If your goal is health related, give us a call. If you’re like most of our clients, you’ll probably be amazed at how effective you can be when you’re acting on good information.
So there are the top three reasons New Year’s Resolutions fail:
All or Nothing Thinking.
Not Tracking Progress.
Acting on Bad Information.
We hope this helps you make 2023 a GREAT YEAR.