31/12/2025
New Year Resolutions are a complete waste of time. Want to know how to make them stick?
Think back to this time last year - what were the promises you made to yourself?
How many did you keep?
I'll take a wild guess that it wasn't many...
And that's perfectly normal, studies show that 80% are forgotten by February. You are not the problem, the whole concept of resolutions is...
The first problem is that they tend to be reactive rather than proactive.
Eaten too much over Christmas? Better join a gym.
Been cooped up over the holidays? Better have a daily walk.
Failed to meet your goals this year? Let's make wholesale, sweeping changes.
Reactive change is based on who we are, rather than who we want to be. And this means it tends to falter.
Second issue is that NY resolutions tend to be wholesale and sweeping - a complete overhaul of who we are and how we behave.
"I need to get in shape, quit smoking, be a better parent, friend, partner, worker, boss."
"I'm going to get up at six, go for a run, meditate, call an old friend, check in with my team, eat healthily, drink 3 litres of water, not watch any trash TV and be in bed by 8 everyday."
We take on too much and in doing so set ourselves up for failure. We may stick it out for a few days, even weeks.
But as soon as one new habit slips the rest come crashing down like dominoes.
The third issue is that resolutions are based on motivation rather than discipline.
And motivation is fleeting. We can feel fully charged and committed one minute, but the smallest set back can send us reeling back to former ways.
So try this:
1. Start with a clear vision of where you want to be this time next year. Write it out in 40 words. Ensure to cover your health and wellbeing, your relationships and you work. Be aspirational but realistic.
2. Choose one thing you need to work on first and decide what the very first step is.
Need to get in shape? Want to go for a run in the mornings?
Focus on getting up at the right time first. Then on putting on your trainers. Then on going for a walk. Then for a run.
Aim for compound improvements rather than wholesale change.
3. Find an accountability partner - a friend, significant other, colleague, dog or professional. Somebody who will support you when you fail and challenge you further when you succeed.
4. Prepare for setbacks - improvement is rarely a straight line on a graph - expect there to be plateaus. Expect there to be dips. Expect there to be days of complete failure. Don't resist these, embrace the learning on offer.
So, what will you change for 2026?