WHY I STOPPED MAKING NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS AND WHY YOU SHOULD TOO
- Alex Yeboah Sasu
- Jan 1, 2024
- 4 min read
I recently hosted a complimentary session on goal setting and although I anticipated it would go well, it actually turned out way better than I had ever dreamed of, especially considering the fact that I had just a couple of weeks to put everything together. After the session, many of the participants booked for one-on-one coaching sessions with me, and I helped answer their questions and fine-tune their 2024 goals. In one of the sessions, I asked my client what her major resolution for the previous year was and she responded, “to be financially independent”. Another client in responding to the same question also said, “to grow spiritually”. As I probed further it became more obvious to each of them that they didn’t even have a clear understanding of what it would look like if their resolutions were met. On the other hand, I had one unique client who told me that she had never made any conscious effort to write down new year resolutions for her life before because she believed beyond any reasonable doubt that “they don’t work”. She’s 25 and actually attended the complimentary session reluctantly. She was surprised because of two main discoveries. First, she found out that I was in agreement with her – that resolutions don’t work. On the other hand, she was overwhelmed with compelling evidence that goals (yes, I believe there is a difference between resolutions and goals) actually do work, and for the first time she was convinced to set goals for her life. By the time we were done with that session, she had successfully set some amazing goals for 2024.
WHY I STOPPED MAKING NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
According to Wikipedia, New Year's resolution is “a tradition…in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behaviour at the beginning of a calendar year.”
Also, according to a study by the University of Scranton, “the most popular New Year’s resolutions are about self improvement (living healthier 23% of people, getting happy 21%, losing weight 20%, exercising 7%, stopping smoking 5%, reducing drinking 2%). In addition, people resolve to meet career or job goals (16%) and improve their relationships (11%)…”
As you glance through the beautiful words above, I am pretty sure you may be wondering why I don’t believe in the concept of new year’s resolutions, right? I mean, who wouldn’t want to live a happier life? Who wouldn’t want to improve their relationships? Or who wouldn’t want to give up bad habits? Well, I will tell you the reasons behind my reservations:
New year’s resolution, by its nature, is intended to excite you for a couple of days or weeks (yaaayy, I will lose some weight this year!) but make you miserable for the rest of the year (Oh no! I can’t believe I actually gained 10 more pounds!)
New year’s resolution, by its nature, is myopic and not holistic. Whiles you get energized to improve one area of your life (I will surely invest in my personal development this year!), you are likely to lose focus on the other equally important areas of your life (how come I don’t seem to have enough time to spend with my family anymore?). In fact, by hoping to invest in your personal development, you are indirectly making financial commitments and sacrificing some time used in another area of your life. And once the right preparations are not made, you set yourself up for frustration.
New year’s resolution, by its nature, assumes that belief is enough to produce expected results, ignoring the all-important role of action, hard work, discipline and resilience. No wonder many people begin the year with phrases like ‘New year, new me’ but discover after a few weeks that the reality they are experiencing can be summed up in the phrase ‘New year, old me’.
So, as you can see, my reservation is really not about the actual resolutions people (want to) make or even with the word itself, but more specifically the attitude the concept of resolutions naturally creates.
BECOMING A PERSON OF GOALS
Instead of being a person of resolutions, be a person of goals. Why? Because GOALS (at least the way I conceptualize it) are:
G – Gradual. Goals by nature require a systematic, step-by-step process which builds on an already established system. It’s not as erratic and spontaneous as resolutions are.
O – Organized. Goals by nature make a person consider the bigger picture and therefore takes into consideration many relevant factors before decisions are made, unlike the concept of resolutions, which is short-sighted. Also, unlike a person of resolutions, a person of goals is intentional about focusing on improving every area of life and therefore lives a more balanced life.
A – Active. Goals by nature do not have ‘brakes’. Whereas a person of resolutions will be waiting for the new year to ‘accelerate’ and activate momentum, a person of goals knows very well that there is no stopping. Also, a person of goals considers the necessary actions that need to be taken in order to produce results.
L – Life long. Goals by nature is a life-long pursuit and not a seasonal pursuit. Whereas a person of resolutions is waiting for the new year to assess areas of weakness that need improvement, a person of goals is consistently on the lookout and makes strategic changes and decisions irrespective of the time of the year.
S – Sustainable. Goals by nature creates a cycle of accomplishment that is more reliable than resolutions that are more inconsistent.
ARE YOU A PERSON OF GOALS?
I hope I have been able to convince you enough concerning why you should stop making new year resolutions and instead embrace the concept of goals. As you reflect on what you have read, I would like you to answer the following as candidly as you can:
Do you have specific goals in specific areas of your life but keep them in your head and never write them down?
Do you abhor the idea of setting goals because you believe they don’t work?
Do you set goals but think your goals are too ambiguous?
Do you set goals but are just unable to accomplish them?
If you answered ‘Yes’ to any of the questions above, I can help you change your narrative. I have a tested and trusted system that has the potential to revolutionize your life in terms of goal setting and accomplishment. If you are interested, you may book for a free 60 minutes one-on-one coaching session with the link below:
Remember, it’s free and free indeed! May this year - and every other year going forward - be your best year yet! Happy New Year!
Wow! Thank you Pastor Alex for this enlightenment.
This is very insightful! Thanks for sharing.
Oh Thank God you wrote this.
I shared the same concern, honestly. I tend to laugh at people when they're so excited about starting their resolutions in January. I tend to see New Year Resolution as a trap.
Thank you for this article. I loved every bit of it.
God bless you Pastor Alex