by Elissa Habinsky, M.A., M.S.
People celebrate the new year at different times, depending on their country of origin or religion. No matter when you choose to acknowledge the start of the new year, it is often a good time to reflect on the year that passed. Perhaps that is why in addition to champagne and the annual “ball drop” in Times Square, NY, it is popular for Americans to make new year’s resolutions. While I believe that such resolutions are a good idea, they often fall flat. This often happens because in order to develop realistic and measurable resolutions that can be achieved, one needs to avoid certain pitfalls.
Pitfall 1: The Vague Resolution
Many people make vague/broad resolutions such as “getting healthy”. “Getting healthy” could mean a myriad of things and could involve several behaviors such as exercising, improving one’s diet and scheduling annual check-ups. Similarly people often offer initial goals such as “being happier” which is equally unclear. Therefore, concretely defining one’s goal/resolution in explicit and measurable terms can help to clarify what one wants to work towards, as well as to monitor progress.
Pitfall 2: The Unrealistic Resolution
Another common mistake that people often make is creating an unrealistic goal for themselves such as “going to the gym every day” or “quitting smoking”. While these are certainly admirable resolutions, they may not be particularly realistic (at first). Therefore while a long-term goal could be one of those indicated above, breaking a long-term goal down into smaller more attainable short-term goals is beneficial.
Pitfall 3: The Resolution With No Plan
Individuals frequently make resolutions without considering what steps are required. For example, according to TIME Magazine, one of the top ten commonly broken New Year’s resolutions is “save money”. Perhaps it is so commonly broken because “save money” does not describe how one can do so. A better resolution therefore would be, “save money by doing x, y & z”.
Pitfall 4: The Resolution That Does Not Consider Potential Problems
Many people who make resolutions do not consider what may get in the way of their achieving them. For example, if resolutions were easily attained, then everyone would make them, and achieve them. Similarly, if “volunteering more often” or “eating well” were easy for us all, then we would be doing such behaviors easily and regularly. Therefore, it is likely that something, some specific belief that the person holds about themselves or the task at hand, is getting in the way of their success. So be sure to brainstorm about what might get in the way and how you intend to address these road blocks.
In sum, if you intend to make a resolution now, in January, or any time of the year for that matter, try to take the time to consider and address these common pitfalls so you may be better equipped to follow-through and find success.
