On the first of January, as fireworks light up the sky and the promise of 365 unknown days or possibilities looming ahead, it has become somewhat of a tradition for many people to set goals, or perhaps better known as new year’s resolutions, in an effort to put their best foot forward and reach new potential. Notably, however, an article from Psychology Today suggests that 80 per cent of individuals will have abandoned their resolution within the month of January. Now, a little over a month after the initial excitement of the new year has worn away, have resolutions come true or fallen flat? Was it ever worth setting a resolution in the first place? I reached out to a few UW students to get their takes on resolutions and where they’re at today.
Understanding why resolutions fail
While the intention behind striving towards a positive accomplishment is great, why does the success rate of accomplishing such seemingly well-intentioned resolutions fall short? Let’s look at the most common reasons why resolutions fail.
1. All-or-nothing thinking
When progress towards goals is only counted when we go to the gym everyday that week or have eaten a kale salad all week for lunch, one slip up and now you’re a failure? Defining our success at reaching our goals is not about constant perfection. Slipping up, whether by missing your pilates class or not having time to make lunch one morning, is not a sign of failure, it’s a sign you’re human. To be able to achieve any goal means being able to be flexible and continue your pursuit, especially when you miss a day or two.
2. Unrealistic goals
Telling yourself you want to complete a triathlon sounds great. Now, how do you even begin to pursue such a vague statement? Many fall prey to setting vague or unrealistic goals. If you’ve never learned to swim, how will you complete a triathlon next month? It’s important to set goals that push us, yet are achievable for us. Perhaps first learning to swim through lessons, then establishing a set routine for running, cycling, swimming, cross-training, and recruiting a buddy who has experience with triathlons, will set you up to better achieve such a goal.
3. Pressured to pursue
Social media and social expectations can tell us a lot about what is worth pursuing. If you feel pressured to find a partner due to a nagging family member or seeing an Instagram reel of couples, yet feel currently content on your own, trying to convince yourself to find love isn’t likely to work. Externally motivated goals are never as powerful as goals we pursue because we are intrinsically motivated. Perhaps listening to your heart rings true.
4. Missing structural support
If you want to make it a habit to bring a healthy lunch to work, yet your pantry is stocked with Doritos and your fridge only has a six pack of beer, you’re missing the structural components necessary in making that goal a reality. Before setting out on a goal, make sure you have the necessary supplies and tools to give yourself the best shot at success.
Clearly, there are many factors that can contribute to failed resolutions and make reaching goals tough, yet addressing such challenges might very well be the first step in succeeding at any goal, regardless of whether it was set on New Year’s Day.
Alexander Altmayer, a fourth year geomatics student, isn’t keen on the concept of new year’s resolutions and admits to never having set resolutions on Jan. 1. Altmayer expresses how he finds “the nature of setting a bunch of goals for the New Year kinda sets yourself up for failure.” Rather than engage in new year’s resolutions, Altmayer would encourage students to “set goals, regardless of the time of year.”
Ali Moeini, a recent UW graduate in mathematics, echoes a similar sentiment to Altmayer, expressing that “people should have a form of wake-up call, and for most [people], Jan. 1 fills that role.” When it comes to understanding why the new year season is such a popular time to set goals, Moeini states: “It’s a resolution in its literal sense. [Resolutions are] made on the spot to resolve negative feelings of underachieving last year. That’s why it’s short-lived, because it’s forgotten as soon as it serves its purpose.”
Moving towards goals that matter
Whether you’ve never set a new year’s resolution or are currently well on your way to achieving a goal set earlier this year, acknowledging the challenges in reaching goals and working to address them can enable you to succeed. Rather than focus the new year on setting a resolution, Moeini encourages students to be “happy about the positive things that happened in their lives. If that’s not true in unfortunate cases, then looking forward to things that might happen would be a good replacement. The goal here is feeling happy about the passage of time. Self compassion and acceptance exercises go a long way in achieving that.”
