See Why people don’t keep to New Year resolutions

Hehehe....Since the dawn of the New Year a couple of hours ago, the compliment, Happy New Year, has understandably dominated almost everybody’s lips. It is customary to express such at this time and it might last for a few more days.

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But beyond the pleasant wishes that accompany this timely compliment, one step many people take as a mark of personal commitment to self improvement and having a better year than the previous one is the preparation of a New Year resolution, which is usually a list of what to do and what not to do in the new year.

Given the importance attached to the list of dos and don’ts for the new year, the act is just as important as can be imagined.

However, in spite of the commitment and genuine attention many people give to it, findings showed that not everybody who comes up with such plan of action stays faithful to them. In fact, in certain cases, some people deviate from the plan only few days after, while some others strive to keep to them. But, on the whole, findings showed that most people do not wholly keep to their resolutions.

This is even more so as a study by the University of Scranton in the United States showed that most people do not keep to their resolutions in spite of their good intentions. The researchers pointed out that only eight per cent of people achieve their New Year goals.

According to the study, published on statisticbrain.com, of the people that were involved in the study, 45 per cent of the participants said they usually make New Year resolutions, 17 per cent rarely make resolutions while 38 per cent say they never buy the idea of making resolutions.

Interesting however is the fact that while 49 per cent has rare success in their resolutions, 24 per cent never succeeded in their resolutions and only eight per cent are successful in achieving their resolutions.

The study further revealed that it is relatively easier for younger people to keep to their resolutions than older people as it said 39 per cent of people in their 20s said they achieved their resolutions while only 14 per cent of people over 50 achieved theirs.

It is equally heart-warming to note that the topmost resolutions in 2015 border on self- improvement (47 per cent), weight loss (38 per cent), money-related resolutions (34 per cent) and relationship (31 per cent).

“If you can’t measure it (resolutions), it is not a very good resolution because vague goals beget vague resolutions,” John Norcross of the University of Scranton added.

Given that it is an initiative embraced by many, it is therefore necessary to identify how people can keep to their resolutions.

Perhaps one of the keys to achieving one’s new year resolutions would be to write them down and share them with others for accountability and progress monitoring.

These were the findings of a study by a psychologist from Dominican University in the United States, Prof. Gail Mathews. In the course of the study, published on dominican.edu, he recruited 267 persons, aged between 23 and 72 from different backgrounds.

Mathews found that more than 70 per cent of the participants who sent weekly updates to a friend reported successful goal achievement as they either completely accomplished their goal or were more than half way there, while only 35 per cent of those who kept their goals to themselves without writing them down had such record of success.

The study emphasised the benefits of writing down one’s goals and sharing them with a friend.

“My study provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of three coaching tools: accountability, commitment, and writing down one’s goals,” Matthews added.

On a cursory look, some of the ways identified by experts include making realistic resolutions, designing a plan of action that would make the resolutions achievable, keeping them simple, believing in oneself, reviewing them constantly, setting short-term goals that are measurable monthly or quarterly and making them tangible.

Some of the experts advised that it is important to set goals that are achievable within the stipulated period and that it is better when it is written or shared with trusted friends or family members to serve as a reminder and ensure accountability. They also cautioned against making giant resolutions that could be difficult to keep to.

A social psychologist, Prof. Roy Baumeister, of Florida State University in Tallahassee, United States, in a post on Forbes notes that setting beautiful resolutions could be exciting and offer some optimism, but that if not bounded by rational and achievable metrics, the actualisation could be frustrating.

He added, “A resolution to lose some weight is not that easy to follow. It is much easier to follow a plan that says no potato chips, fries, or ice cream for six weeks. And be specific. Don’t say you’re going to start going to the gym in 2013. Rather, set a clear ambition, like attending a weekly spin class or lifting weights every Tuesday or Thursday.”

Another psychologist, Dr. Lynn Bufka, wrote that it is better to come up with small, attainable goals throughout the year, rather than a singular, overwhelming goal, noting that “it is not the extent of the change that matters, but rather the act of recognising that lifestyle change is important and working towards it, one step at a time.”

In his own counsel, the founder of Money Crashers, a personal finance website dedicated to sharing better ways to save and spend, Andrew Schrage, wrote on shape.com that losing interest or giving up too easily is a major hindrance to keeping to resolutions. He added, “Many people make their resolutions with a genuine belief that they can accomplish them, but come February the excitement wears off and other priorities begin to take precedence.

“To cure this issue, try to set benchmarks throughout the year. By doing so, you can keep yourself on track throughout the year and use the power of positive reinforcement to keep your momentum going.”

Also, a psychotherapist, Barbara Neitlich, argued that believing in and commending oneself is necessary to achieving set goals. She added, “Congratulate yourself for your progress. The problem is that many individuals have a very black and white attitude. They see it as either you have achieved your goal or you have failed, but there is a grey area.

“If you have not been able to fulfill all your goals, don’t beat yourself up for it. Rather, congratulate and reward yourself for making the effort toward your goal. That will give you the energy and stamina you need to continue achieving your initial goal.”

Commenting on the issue of making resolutions for New Year, a psychologist, Prof. Toba Elegbeleye, said many people make such resolutions out of the euphoria of the season and as a result of the indoctrinations that fly around, especially as Africans, making people feel like dropping certain habits at the start of a new year.

He added that the reason why many people are not able to keep to their resolutions is because habits, which are usually the basis for the resolutions, are difficult to escape from.

He said, “In psychological parlance, there is something about habits; it is easy to slip into but very difficult to drop. No doubt, many people have the habit of taking an audit of their behaviour to abstain from the ones that were not favourable to them. So, when they look at these things critically, they tend to wait till the end of the year to take a stand on them.

“But when the same situation presents itself in the new year, there is every likelihood that they are going to fall back into them because they are a product of habits and not many pay the same attention to them in the middle of the year like they do at the beginning of the year.

“Personally, I don’t think serious people have to make resolutions. It is supposed to be internalised. If you want to do something, just go ahead and do it, not waiting for a season to start. People need to be self-motivated and self-directed for them to get out of habits that have become very dangerous for their system, and psychologically, that is the way it should be.”