It’s 2023. You decide. This is gonna be the best year of my life.
You enthusiastically make New Year’s resolutions. Before you realize it, it’s the end of the year. And guess what you are still the same.
Unchanged. Not achieving any of your New Year resolutions.
It’s 2024. You decide. This is gonna be the best year of my life.
You enthusiastically make New Year’s resolutions.
Before you realize it, it’s the end of the year. And guess what you are still the same.
Unchanged. Not achieving any of your New Year resolutions.
And the realization hits. Oh no! This has been the scenario for as long as you can remember.
2025 will be here in no time.
And this time, you have decided not to repeat the same course of action. Instead, look for the mistakes that is causing this disaster on loop every damn year.
Somehow you landed here.
2025 is gonna be different this time. That’s because you have decided to act wisely by understanding what you are doing wrong.
This post delves into the top 10 common New Year’s Resolution mistakes and offers actionable solutions to turn intentions into achievements.
2025 isn’t just another year; it’s the year you break free from the cycle and make lasting changes.
“Set realistic goals, keep re-evaluating, and be consistent.” – Venus Williams, American Tennis Player
Mistake:
Many of us have a wrong understanding of New Year’s Resolutions. It’s important to understand what it is exactly.
A New Year resolution is a personal commitment or promise that people make at the beginning of a new year to bring about positive change or improvement in their lives.
Resolutions are incomplete statements because they typically lack the detailed planning, commitment, and follow-through needed to bring about lasting change.
Read it again – it’s a promise or a personal commitment.
Setting New Year’s Resolutions is the first step. Resolving to do something sets the momentum.
Resolutions like “get fit” or “save money” lack specificity and actionable steps. This makes it challenging to measure progress or stay committed.
Vague statements don’t bring results.
So what should you do?
Solution:
You need to CONVERT YOUR RESOLUTIONS INTO SMART (Specific-Measurable-Attainable-Relevant-Time Bound) GOALS.
Love fun? Make it a challenge to achieve your goals.
What happens if you don’t convert it into goals?
You will lose focus and motivation. Progress becomes unclear, leading to frustration or abandonment of resolutions altogether.
How to convert resolutions into goals?
Here is an example to give you an idea.
Example:
Resolution: Eat Healthier
Goal:
Ask yourself: Have you clearly defined what you want to achieve this year?
Too often, we convince ourselves that massive success requires massive action. Whether it is losing weight, building a business, writing a book, winning a championship or achieving any other goal, we pressure ourselves to make some earth-shattering improvement that everyone will talk about. – James Clear, Atomic Habits
Mistake:
When setting goals, it’s natural to aspire to attain significant outcomes quickly. You are so much consumed by the enthusiasm or a desire for rapid change that it feels almost impossible to think small.
Setting overly ambitious goals has 2 main problems. In most cases neither is it feasible nor sustainable.
For instance, aiming to “lose 30 pounds in one month” is an example of how you might pressure yourself to achieve rapid, noticeable results.
Establishing unrealistic goals can lead to demotivation, especially when you start to realize that it is not possible to achieve them. The result will be giving up on the resolutions.
It can also lead to burn-out and risk of injury or harm.
Do this instead.
Solution:
SET REALISTIC GOALS.
Realistic goals are:
Here are some examples of realistic goals:
Example:
Remember, less is more.
Ask Yourself: Are your goals challenging yet achievable within a reasonable timeframe?
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.” – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer and aviator
Mistake:
One of the biggest pitfalls when setting New Year resolutions is not having a clear and actionable plan.
Many people make the mistake of setting broad, ambitious resolutions without. But they fail to develop the specific steps needed to achieve them.
This often leads to:
Simply stating what you want to achieve a resolution isn’t enough; you need a roadmap to guide you.
How can you prevent yourself from falling into this trap?
Solution:
CREATE A DETAILED ACTION PLAN WITH CLEAR, ACTIONABLE STEPS.
Cover aspects such as how, when, at what place, and how much to achieve per day, week, and month.
Make sure you develop a plan such that each small step leads to the achievement of your big goals and resolutions.
Example:
Resolution: I want to read more books.
Detailed Plan:
Ask Yourself: Do you have a plan to achieve your New Year resolutions and goals? How detailed is your plan to achieve these goals?
“If you try to do too much, you will achieve nothing.” – Confucius, Chinese Philosopher
Mistake:
‘I want to be the best version of myself, I want to make 2025 the best year of my life.’
You are so enthusiastic that you decide to make changes to all aspects of your life all at once.
‘I want to lose weight, read more books, save more money, be a morning person, eat healthy, be a better friend.’ The list becomes as big as your enthusiasm.
Result: You are overwhelmed and frustrated. You might end the year by not even achieving any one of your resolutions. The same story in repeat mode – absolute disaster.
How to avoid this?
Solution:
There are 2 parts to the solution.
A. Don’t set too many resolutions.
My recommendation is to set between 1 to 3 New Year resolutions.
Why so?
Because to achieve one of your resolutions, it would require you to make many, many changes. And making changes is not easy.
Let’s understand this with an example.
You have made your New Year resolution to become fit.
To achieve this resolution you’ll need to: make changes to your diet, get exercise, get good sleep.
To achieve one resolution you will need to develop many new habits. Each one will require its strategy and planning.
3 New Year’s Resolutions seem like a small number but you need to realize that much effort is required to achieve this.
Achieving one new year resolution is so much better than achieving none.
B. Don’t try to achieve all your resolutions at once
Let’s say your New Year resolutions are to get fit, become a morning person, saving money.
Don’t try to do all of these from January 1.
Dedicate 4 months for each resolution.
This is not a hard and fast rule. You can change the duration as per your comfort.
The point is not to focus on all resolutions together.
WORK ON ONE RESOLUTION AT A TIME AND SUCCEED.
Example:
Here is a brief example of how you can do this. Remember, you need to expand and make a detailed plan.
Resolution 1: Improve Physical Fitness
Time Frame: January – April
Resolution 2: Improve Diet and Nutrition
Time Frame: May – August
Resolution 3: Enhance Career Skills
Time Frame: September – December
Ask Yourself: Have you prioritized your resolutions to focus on what truly matters?
“Progress is made when progress is measured.” – Jack LaLanne, American Professional Fitness Coach, known as “The Godfather of Fitness”
Mistake:
You need to track your progress. Not everything will go smoothly from day one.
You will fail. Make mistakes.
What you thought would work for you might not be bringing in the expected results.
But how will you know all this?
By tracking your progress, the journey. This will help you to:
What are some ways to do so?
Solution:
There are different ways to track your progress:
Are you a pen-paper person or a digital nomad? Choose your medium of tracking your progress.
Buy that journal. Install the app that suits your needs.
START TRACKING YOUR PROGRESS
Example:
Financial Goals
Ask Yourself: How are you planning to regularly monitor your progress?
“Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results.” – Bob Proctor, Canadian Author
Mistake:
Have you experienced this?
On January 1 you are so motivated to change your life around. But within weeks, motivation wears down, and willpower crumbles.
You are relying on yourself to achieve your New Year’s resolutions. You have kept it private.
This is a mistake.
When New Year’s resolutions are kept private, it reduces the level of accountability. Without external pressure or support, it’s easier to procrastinate or give up when challenges arise.
This doesn’t need to be the case.
Solution:
There are two solutions:
A. Find an Accountability Partner
Share your New Year resolutions with people who you feel will be supportive in your journey.
Don’t go and share it with everyone. Not everyone will cheer for you and wish that you achieve your resolutions.
Encourage them to join in your journey. Achieve the New Year’s resolutions together.
What a wonderful journey it would be when two of you are growing together in life.
B. Ask others to hold you accountable
Let’s say you have people in life who are supportive. But maybe their resolutions are different and cannot be a part of your journey.
No problem. Ask them to hold you accountable.
Inform them in advance what your plans are. If you miss or derail from your plan, ask them to give you a small punishment.
It can be of their choice or your choice.
KEEP YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE AND SUCCEED
Example:
Let’s say that you have a fitness goal to exercise daily. Here are different ways to keep yourself accountable:
Ask Yourself: Who can you share your goals with to keep yourself accountable?
“Perfectionism rarely begets perfection, or satisfaction — only disappointment.” – Ryan Holiday, American Philosopher and Author
Mistake:
Everything less than perfection is a failure. This is what all-or-nothing thinking is.
It involves thinking in extremes and disregarding the value of progress toward goals.
This mindset has many negatives. It can create a cycle of disappointment.
This is because achievements that fall short of perfect are seen as complete failures, rather than steps forward. This can contribute to feelings of frustration and self-criticism.
Have you ever experienced this?
You start out by setting unrealistic expectations, such as aiming never to miss a workout. As life gets in the way you might end up missing a workout. This simple setback leads to a feeling of failure.
You feel that each stumble is a complete undoing of your efforts rather than a normal part of progress.
You feel that you have failed. This feeling quickly diminishes your motivation.
You end up abandoning the goal altogether.
If you feel that this is your story, it’s time to change your mindset.
But how to do so?
Solution:
A. Adjust Mindset: Shift from an all-or-nothing mindset to a growth mindset. View setbacks as learning opportunities and part of the process rather than failures.
B. Establish goals that allow for flexibility: Instead of aiming for perfection, set goals like working out three times a week or eating healthily most of the time. This reduces pressure and makes the goals more attainable.
C. Forgive Occasional Slip-Ups: Accept that setbacks are a normal part of any journey. Forgive yourself for minor slip-ups and focus on getting back on track rather than dwelling on the mistake.
D. Track Progress Over Time: Keep a log of your activities to see overall progress. Look at weekly or monthly trends to understand your development over time rather than focusing on daily fluctuations.
E. Celebrate Small Victories: Recognize and appreciate each step forward. Celebrate small successes rather than waiting for the final goal. This helps build momentum and keeps motivation high.
GET OUT OF THIS MINDSET TRAP AND ACHIEVE YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS
Example:
Fitness Goals:
Ask Yourself: How can you eliminate the all-or-nothing thinking? How can you celebrate small victories along the way?
Related Post: How to Overcome Perfectionism to be Happy and Successful
Mistake:
Life isn’t perfect. But we always tend to forget this.
Unexpected events can occur at any time.
You or your family members might get sick. A sudden important project comes up with an almost impossible deadline.
Naturally, these can affect your progress in achieving your resolutions.
Obstacles are unpredictable but will happen in life.
So, what to do about it?
Solution:
Here are some strategies to help you:
A. Anticipate potential challenges: Before setting your resolutions, identify potential obstacles that could interfere with your goals. Consider both external factors (e.g., work commitments, family obligations) and internal factors (e.g., lack of motivation, time constraints).
B. Set Realistic Expectations: Establish goals that are challenging yet attainable given your current circumstances. This includes considering your schedule, resources, and any foreseeable challenges.
C. Develop Contingency Plans: Once you’ve identified potential obstacles, create backup plans or alternative strategies to overcome them.
D. Stay Flexible and Adapt: Be willing to adjust your goals and plans as needed in response to unexpected challenges. Flexibility allows you to maintain progress without becoming discouraged by setbacks.
BE FLEXIBLE, PERSISTENT AND FACE THE OBSTACLES HEAD ON.
Example:
Fitness Goals:
Ask Yourself: What steps can you take to anticipate and overcome potential challenges?
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” – Margaret J Wheatley, American Writer and Teacher
Mistake:
You set a resolution, made it into a goal, and have made a plan to achieve the same.
And you have started to follow through with this plan.
Good job!
But blindly following a plan does no good.
You need to take a pause now and then. And reflect.
Is your plan working? Is it bringing in the results you want?
Or do you need to make any changes?
Most of us fail at this point.
That is because we underestimate the power of reflections.
If you follow a plan without measuring its effectiveness once in a while it can lead to failures.
And then you will stuck in a cycle of frustration and lack of self-esteem.
Solution:
Here are some strategies to help you with this:
A. Regular Progress Reviews: Schedule regular intervals (e.g., weekly, monthly) to review your progress towards your goals. Use this time to assess what’s working well and what needs adjustment.
B. Evaluate Results Objectively: Analyze your results objectively. Look at quantitative data (e.g., weight loss, savings growth) and qualitative feedback (e.g., performance reviews, personal satisfaction) to measure your progress accurately.
C. Make Changes to the Plan: Stick to your plan if it is bringing you the desired results. If not make some tweaks to your plan.
PAUSE, REFLECT AND GROW.
Example:
Fitness Goals:
Ask Yourself: How do you plan to reflect and evaluate yourself? At what intervals are you planning to do so? Daily, Weekly?
“A winner is a loser who just tried one more time.” – George M. Moore Jr., Late Member of U.S. House of Representative
Mistake:
Progress takes time. Results aren’t obtained immediately.
James Clear has perfectly described this in his book Atomic Habits:
Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up potential required to unleash a major change. This pattern shows up everywhere. Cancer spends 80 percent of its life undetectable, then takes over body in months. Bamboo can barely be seen for the first five years as it builds its extensive root systems underground before exploding ninety feet into the air within six weeks.
In the early and middle stages of any quest, there is often a a Valley of Disappointment. You expect to make progress in a linear fashion and its frustrating how ineffective changes can seem during the first days, weeks, and even months. It doesn’t feel like you are going anywhere. It’s a hallmark of any compounding process: the most powerful outcomes are delayed
Read that again.
Have you give up on your resolutions because you feel you aren’t reaching anywhere?
Don’t mistake the absence of results in the first few days or weeks as your failure. Just hang in there and you will see progress.
Solution:
A. Focus on the Process: Shift your focus from the end goal to the steps and improvements you make each day. Appreciate the journey of growth and learning, rather than solely fixating on the outcome.
B. Visualize Long-Term Benefits: Remind yourself of the reasons behind your resolutions and the long-term benefits of achieving them. Visualize how achieving your goals will positively impact your life and keep that vision in mind during difficult moments.
C. Remind Yourself that Results Take Time: Place motivating quotes around yourself that will remind you that progress doesn’t happen overnight. It will help you to motivate yourself and keep going.
KEEP GOING AND YOU WILL EMERGE THROUGH THE Valley of Disappointment VICTORIOUSLY.
Example:
Fitness Goals:
Ask Yourself: How can you stay motivated and resilient when faced with setbacks?
As you pursue your New Year resolutions, it’s natural to face challenges that may test your commitment. By understanding these common New Year’s Resolution mistakes and their solutions, you can significantly increase your chances of success.
Remember, setting realistic goals, staying accountable, and adapting to obstacles are crucial aspects of achieving lasting change.
Change takes time and effort. Celebrate each small victory along the way and learn from setbacks as opportunities for growth.
With a proactive mindset and the right strategies in place, you have the power to turn your resolutions into habits that enrich your life. As you embark on this journey of self-improvement, embrace the lessons learned from these mistakes.
Here’s to a year filled with progress, resilience, and achievements. May your resolutions inspire you to reach new heights and fulfill your aspirations!
