A report by Forbes (2023) revealed why most New Year’s resolutions fail.
The report indicated that 80 per cent of resolutions made for new year fail with only 20 per cent of people achieving their set goals.
Among those who quit, Forbes revealed that most abandon their set goals as early as February.
“Every New Year, many people state a list of goals and targets they are going to achieve but 80 per cent of those resolutions start failing by the beginning of February,” the report states in part.
Forbes compiled a list of factors that contribute to the failure of such resolutions;
Lack of change in consciousness
Most of the resolutions fail because they were made at the spur of the moment and when the exhilaration ends, so is the drive to achieve the set goals.
“New Year’s resolutions majorly are created out of peer pressure and based on an arbitrary date.
“When reality sinks in and the burden of peer pressure dissipates, many people end up abandoning their resolutions,” the report expounds.
Lack of accountability structure
Dieting and exercising usually top New Year’s resolutions according to Forbes yet few people ever follow through with them.
This is attributed to the lack of an accountability structure. There is no reward and punishment model when working towards achieving the resolutions.
If someone wants to cheat on his diet or exercise routine, there is no punishment or instant repercussions for that decision.
Fear and Resistance
Forbes noted that there is a lot of fear and resistance when it comes to achieving set goals.
“In the course of time, people start doubting themselves and get a feeling that they were overambitious when making resolutions,” Forbes noted.
When the fear starts creeping in, many people abandon their resolutions barely a month after making them.
