19 Dec 3 Reasons Why I Stopped New Year Resolutions
It is almost January 2017, and that means many of us will be setting resolutions for the new year shortly, however, I’d like to encourage you to adopt a different approach and ditch new year resolutions all together. By definition, a new year’s resolution is a tradition, mostly common in the Western Hemisphere (but also found in the Eastern Hemisphere), in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice, such as opening doors for people beginning from New Year’s Day.
As great as most resolutions are, many are abandoned shortly into the new year. I suffered the same fate and struggled with RESOLUTIONS for a long time and rather than quit, in retrospect, realized how many hours wasted trying to catch up rather than build upon daily goals. Invariably, I found myself looking back rather than looking forward.
I am certain I am not alone in this space.
So when I finally came around to it, I simply gave up on them entirely.
Yep, I junked it and here are some examples of what I gave up.
- Hurriedly, crafted resolutions before the new year
- Frivolous, nice to haves targets without deep self-reflection
- Ambiguous resolutions that lacked habit forming behaviors.
3 SPECIFIC REASONS WHY I STOPPED NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
These are the specific three reasons behind my action:
REASON #1: COGNITIVE DISSONANCE
With every missed resolution I felt dejected and disconnected and in those moments, I realized that I was, not only experiencing a cognitive dissonance, it was also self-inflicted. Sadly, what was intended for my benefit eventually becomes a significant stumbling stone to my well-being.
REASON #2: ASTRONOMICALLY HIGH FAILURE RATE
The failure rate of resolutions is astronomically high.
Imagine the numbers for a second, do you know that approximately 50% of Americans set a minimum of one New Year’s resolution?
- The US population according to the 2014 Census is 321 Million people
- 321 Million people x 50% (number of people who set resolutions) = 160,500,000 Resolutions
- APPLY THE FAILURE RATE OF 88%: A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving
3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail. - So 160,500,000 Resolutions x 88% = 141,240,000 FAILED Resolutions
That’s a lot of failing, So honestly, it begs the question, why do we continue to focus on resolutions?
REASON #3: BRAIN MAP – OUR BRAINS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH IT
The neuroscience behind brain functions reveals a clue, according to Jonah Lehrer in the WSJ, the brain cells that operate willpower are located in the Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC), which is the area right behind your forehead. This area of the brain is also responsible for staying focused, handling short-term memory and solving abstract tasks.
New Year’s resolutions are stored in this PFC area and depending on the number of resolutions, the brain goes into overdrive and an enormous amount of willpower is required. The brain can not maintain or handle this surge in activity at this level.
NEXT STEPS
I embraced A MORE HUMANE & REALISTIC MODEL that aligned with proven habit shaping models, focused on goals, actionable plans, and SMART metrics that rewarded progress rather than activity.
The Hybrid Goal Management Model
- REFLECTION: Make time to think and reflect on the milestones and key lessons. A key deliverable from this process is to identify a theme or critical focus items for the new year.
- INTEGRATION: Next, I define 5 focal points or areas of concentration for each theme and define a Simple, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time Specific (SMART) plan for each focal area.
- PUSH EFFECT: Then, I identify key voices and influencers to follow, observe or connect with throughout the year.
- EVALUATION: Finally, measure and continued evaluation process.
I am full of expectations for the new year and expecting great things.
Dr. Flo
Dr. ‘Flo Falayi is a Leadership Consultant and Coach enabling, empowering and developing next generation leaders and organizations. The Founder of The Hybrid Leadership Institute and referred to as The Hybrid Leader™- American Born, British Educated, and Nigerian Raised.
Follow Dr. Flo on Twitter @DrFloFalayi
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