We all think about them and some of us even make them, New Year’s Resolutions. So just what is it I mean by New Year’s Resolution? I am talking about those goals we make as the calendar changes from one year to the next, and often don’t stick to. If you are a not sticking-to-it kind of person, don’t worry, you are not alone, studies have shown that not many people are able to stick to their New Year’s Resolution (Dickson et al., 2021). For some of us, it is a healing kick, weight loss or exercise and bodybuilding goal we are striving for. We are looking for improved self-esteem, social network, happiness, improved health or extrinsic goals such as improved work ethic, more money, or a promotion. Some goals are intrinsic or from within ourselves and some are extrinsic or motivated by external goals or rewards.
It is human nature to have goals and strive for improved behaviour, courage, motivation and strength. It is how we pursue them that makes the difference between being a stick-to-it kind of person or not (Dickson et al., 2021). There are two main camps in understanding how we approach our New Year’s resolution goals. There are the open-minded and the determined among us when it comes to goal-getting and this plays a large part, not only in stickability but also in our mental well-being. Dickson et al. (2021), undertook a study to examine the differences between these two approaches and found that there was very little difference in the achievement of goals between them.
Those of us who are determined to achieve our goals and stick to our resolutions in the hope and belief that there is only one way to get to our goal, often lose self-confidence when things start getting off track, it then becomes harder to keep going and is not uncommon for us to become frustrated and give up before we near our goal (Dickson et al., 2021). The other group of goal-getters are more flexible and see that there are times when flexibility and acceptance in achieving goals are important in maintaining motivation and success. For this group delaying the goal deadline, reducing the goal and eliminating part of it are their keys to maintaining faith that they will achieve. However, it is not uncommon for this group to abandon their goal very soon (less than 30 days) after the New Year arrives.
As Dickson et al.(2021), discovered there is very little difference between these groups in terms of achievement of goals, but they did find that mental well-being in the flexible group was maintained more than it was in the determined group. So from this, maybe you need to think about New Year’s Resolutions, be ready to be flexible in goals and be ready to love yourself no matter the outcome.
Are you flexible or determined in your New Year’s Resolution? Are you ready to give yourself a break if you don’t make it? Are you ready to rework your resolution to become a ‘How can I’ Goal?
References
Dickson, J. M., Moberly, N. J., Preece, D., Dodd, A., & Huntley, C. D. (2021, March 17).Self-Regulatory Goal Motivational Processes in Sustained New Year Resolution Pursuit and Mental Wellbeing. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 18(3084), 1-13.
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18063084
