Do resolutions actually work?

Only about 9% of the people who set new year resolutions actually stick to it.

Every year, almost every second person sets some new year resolutions. Everyone has 'New Year, New Me' energy. But how long do these resolutions last? Why are only 9% of people who make resolutions able to achieve them? What are the 9% of people doing that they succeed? What are the other 90% doing wrong?

Most people give up on new year resolutions within the first week itself. While half of the people that are left may hardly last till mid-January, very few of these go 2–3 months. But the question is still the same, why are these people giving up after a certain period of time?

What is the problem? 

The problem is that we think of resolutions as a very big picture. Yes, that's the problem! The big picture. But why big? Because we want to achieve big goals in a short period of time, so we set big and big goals and, most of the time, unrealistic goals. And upon the unrealistic goals, we directly jump into doing a lot of new things all of a sudden on 1st January, which is not what our brain and body are used to. So because of this sudden push and shock, our body and mind are unable to cooperate, and we don't last long on this "New Energy". We want to achieve all that we weren't able to achieve in the previous year, and even more. 

Another problem is that we are not specific about what we actually want to achieve. We often make resolutions like: I want to lose weight, I want to be fit, I want to handle my finances well, I want to eat healthy, I want to travel. But here again is where the problem lies, because we are not specific. You want to lose weight, but how much? You want to be fit; what do you mean by fit? You want to eat healthy; what is healthy, and why do you want to do so? We don't generally answer these questions; we just make resolutions, most of the time just by seeing other people doing it on the internet.

Solution

So let's now talk about the solution. 

Your resolutions must be:

Specific- You must have the exact number and reason for what and why you want to achieve what you want to achieve. For instance, I want to lose 7 kg; I will have 2 healthy, nourishing meals each day; I will better manage my finances in such a way that I can cut off the extra expenses and save at least 80,000; and so on. 

Realistic - You need to have realistic goals or resolutions. You have to analyze, see what and how much is achievable for you, and keep the goals on or close to the other end of your capacity. This will make it a little tough, but not so tough that you feel exhausted. For instance, if you want to lose weight, you have to take into consideration your current health, any illnesses you have, what you are currently doing that you should not be doing, what habits are contributing to your current weight or increasing weight, etc. Keeping all this in mind will help you have a realistic goal.

Adaptable - Don't just directly jump into a habit on the 1st January, prepare for it beforehand, or take January as a warmup month where you will plan and slowly start to move towards your resolutions and take up speed from the next month. You can even take a fortnight if you want instead of a whole month; whatever feels right for you, take that time and start slow.

So if you are on your resolutions and struggling to keep up with them, or if you have given up already, let's restart, let's replan, because it's never the wrong time to do the right thing. Let's be a part of those 9% this year.