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Why do New Year's resolutions fail?

  • Published
  • By Maj. Melinda Carr
  • 315th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
Have you ever wondered why New Year' resolutions fail?

Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. For those of us in the military "failure" is a word which goes against everything we believe in.

In the Air Force we pride ourselves in our core values of "Integrity first; Service before self and Excellence in all we do." However, we are part of the 75percent of individuals who set but do not keep their New Year's resolutions from January to December in any given year? The reasons vary from individual to individual but here are some of the most common reasons why people fail to achieve their New Year's resolution.

1. They set too many resolutions. Try to pick two or three resolutions that you can commit to and develop an action plan for accomplishing them. For example, commit to doing 10 pushups daily and then add one or two more pushups each week. This will lead to you seeing results over time.

2. Their resolutions lack personalization. Do not decide to lose weight just because your squadron has a new commander who is really concerned about the health of the unit. Rather sit down and develop a crystal clear method for reaching your particular weight loss goal. Write down the exact amount of weight you desire to lose and when you plan to lose it by, including in detail how you plan on reaching this goal. For example, attempt a 15-pound weight loss by April via working out one hour every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday.

3. They didn't write them down. Grab a journal, write out the specifics for obtaining your goal and refer to your notes often. Do not get discouraged if you do not see results of your resolution daily. When you are not seeing results "tweak" your plan of action but do not give up. You will not achieve your goals by merely thinking about them. If you do reach your written goal then reward yourself. For example, if your goal was to lose 15 pounds by April and you reach this goal your reward may be to spend $50 on a new outfit. However, if you do not reach this goal you should have a written consequence. For example, donate $10 to charity for every pound you missed the goal by.

4. They don't review their resolutions periodically. Do this as often as you need in order to stay on course for reaching your goal. Also this will allow you to measure your progress. Even if it is June and you only reached 30 percent of your goal, that is a lot better than zero percent. This will allow you a chance to revamp your strategy in order to reach 100 percent of your goal by December. Remember: a little progress towards your goal is a lot better than no progress at all.

5. They don't share their resolutions. Tell everyone you meet about your resolutions because this will make you publicly accountable for your own results. Additionally, this will provide a means for a support group to encourage you. So go ahead and tell your wingman about your resolutions during the January Unit Training Assembly, as well as let them read your action plan for obtaining your goal.

Research has shown the odds of reaching and obtaining your New Year's resolution goals are against you. During the first two weeks things normally proceed as planned; however, by the end of February 75 percent of individuals "fall off the wagon" and return to their "old habits." To ensure you are not a part of this 75 percent do not set overly ambitious goals and be very realistic in your goal planning.