Last time, Science Times wrote about how to fulfill your New Year's resolution to achieve your goals. However, it is already expected that not everyone who has their new year's resolution will succeed because many will also fail. It is estimated that only 12% of those who aspire to fulfill their list this year will ever experience the taste of success.
The most common new year's resolution of all time is losing weight and obviously, it is often not achieved by many people.
In an interview with Business Insider, psychotherapist Jonathan Alpert, author of "Be Fearless: Change Your Life in 28 Days, identified three of the biggest reasons why people fail to complete their resolutions for the year and only a small fraction could manage to keep them.
Psychotherapist Explains Why People Fail to Fulfill Their New Year's Resolution
Below are the three major reasons for failing to accomplish your new year's resolution:
You Are Not Setting Your Specific Goals
Alpert told the Business Insider that one of the reasons one fails to achieve their New Year's resolution is because people set their goals too general, or in other words, their goals are not specific enough. Examples of these are "exercise more" or "lose weight."
These statements could easily predict the failure of achieving their goals as they lack ways to mark progress and are unlikely to keep people motivated throughout the year. According to the goal setting theory of motivation, goals should always be specific and clear to have a greater output and better performance.
So, when setting your new year's resolution, try making it specific. Instead of saying "lose weight," say that you will run about 5K every day or lose weight by 10 pounds by a certain date.
"When it's really detailed and specific, it's harder to walk away from it," Alpert said. Also having a timeline helps, especially if it's a short-term goal. But if it is a long-term goal, it would be best to have benchmarks that will let you know that you are on the track to achieving your goal.
ALSO READ: How To Stick To Your New Year's Resolution
You are Framing Your Goals with Negative Language
In a previous report of Science Times, it was mentioned that one of the ways to fulfill your new year's resolution is by framing your goals positively. When goals are framed using negative language, it often backfires because it makes them think about the very thing they are trying to avoid.
Alpert said that so much of how people talk to themselves affect their actions and behavior. It is important to feed oneself with positive self-talk. That means, instead of saying, "Don't eat junk food," tell yourself a behavior that you desire like "Eat carrots and peanut butter as a healthy snack."
You Are Not Setting Your Goals Uniquely For You
One of the major culprits of failing to meet your goals and fulfilling the New Year's resolution is the person's tendency to make New Year's resolutions that do not reflect what they actually want.
For example, in setting a goal to diet, many people set goals that are also applicable to career-related goals inspired by what you think of other people expect of you.
"Goals need to be made for the individual," Alpert said. "So often, people seem to be influenced by their friends, their family, what they see in society."
Ultimately, goal setting should be for yourself and unique only to you.
READ MORE: Men Are More Likely To Have 'All Or Nothing' Behavior Than Women
Check out more news and information on Psychology at Science Times.
