What to Do If You Have Already Failed to Cope With the New Year’s Decision
Chances are good that you have already decided to abandon the New Year’s decision.
By the second week of the year, 31% of people have already abandoned their goals, and by the end of the month that number will rise to just under 50%, according to Fast Company.
Fulfilling your lofty dreams of reading for an hour every night or running five days a week can be difficult, so difficult in fact that you fail and fail miserably at the beginning of your attempt. And when that kind of failure happens, we often decide to give up the goal entirely instead of trying again.
If you’re already suffering from a bad New Year’s decision, instead of giving up on your dream, try rethinking it.
Fast Company notes that more often than not, our decisions are about specific activities, such as “working five times a week,” rather than the broader picture. Instead of focusing on the activity component, focus on your larger goal instead.
So instead of deciding to run every day, try to set yourself a goal of “getting healthier.”
Once you’ve decided on this larger goal, make very small incremental changes to achieve it.
Sure, you can run five days a week, but if you have zero right now, chances are good it won’t work. Instead, set a goal for yourself to run once or twice a week. You are more likely to achieve this, which will make you feel good and want to keep going, and you still make changes for the better.
After a few months, you can add a day or two to this mix, and by the end of the year, you can actually achieve the dream of five runs a week.
We all strive for success. If you get frustrated early, you are more likely to give up on your goals. But if you reach your goal, even if it is not your final goal, you will feel good and continue working.
So, if you’ve already backed out of the January 1st decision, it’s not too late to do so in 2018.