Jane Carroll, Reporter
@jcarrollcourant
As the new year comes around, so do new resolutions. Most people aim for goals like going to the gym or sticking to restrictive diets. But for the majority of people these resolutions don’t stick around for long as people aren’t consistent.
Researchers suspect that only 9% of Americans keep with their resolutions throughout the new year, and a large 43% of people quit their goals by the end of January. Overall the goals don’t seem very promising for the average person. But there are steps you can take to ensure the new year looks different with promising resolutions staying consistent.
Step 1: Make the goal realistic
Setting goals according to your lifestyle can help ensure that the goal is in range and obtainable. Instead of aiming for a large hard-to-obtain goal, starting small and working up can be an easy way to stay on track and stay consistent.
Step 2: Setting specific goals
For example, instead of setting a vague objective like getting good grades, being more specific like receiving above the class average for a certain class can be more beneficial. This is because it allows the goal to be more realistic and attainable. Because it is more measurable it can be encouraging to complete the task.
Step 3: Make a plan
Having a plan would help resolutions become more consistent as it would allow for the final goal in mind to be achievable. This would also make the resolution less daunting as it breaks down what is needed in order to complete the goal at hand.
Step 4: Allowing the resolution to become a habit
On average a change in routine takes sixty-six days to form a new habit. Researchers believe that most people quit their resolutions as they don’t allow time for the change to become a habit. Because routines occur almost automatically a change in the system can be forgotten or ignored completely. On the contrary, bringing in a change in a routine can seem like a big hassle but it will take time to settle in and become accustomed to your lifestyle.
Step 5: Identifying people for positive support
Doing anything new, whether big or small, can be hard especially if done alone. Finding people who not only help lift spirits but also hold you accountable can be an easy fix when it comes to staying consistent with a resolution. Similar to a support group, these people could be friends, family, teachers, and other people in the community helping you fulfill goals for a better year ahead.
Step 6: Expecting obstacles
Change is certainly not easy. When trying to obtain or complete something, naturally everything might not go according to plan or as smoothly as one might expect. But staying optimistic can help overcome challenges along the way, another reason why a support partner is needed in order to complete a goal.
Staying consistent with new things can be hard, but with the help of small changes, it can allow for goals to turn into completed tasks. If keep on track and consistent the saying “New Year, new me” can be an accurate phrase.
