Beware of These Red Flags in Your New Year Resolution Plans!

Sticking to new year resolutions is easy, and falling off the wagon is equally easy. However, we often do not know why we easily fall off the wagon. Yes, despite New Year resolutions playing such a big part in our culture, we are so bad at keeping them. Some of us stick to the plan until the first month of the year, some not even that. Research substantiates that while 45% of Americans make New Year resolutions, only 8 % manage to stick to them.

It is mostly because although we have set our New Year resolutions, we don’t spend enough time on what stops us from achieving them. Let’s identify the red flags, and the next time we make some resolutions. We remove these hurdles to make the journey of reaching our goals smoother. Let’s make these resolutions habits for life. Before changing our behavior pattern, let’s find out exactly what we are up against?

You Focus More on the Results, Not Enough on the Process

We have to understand that New Year’s Resolutions are not always about the day-to-day results and more about the long run. Incremental improvements are key points to concentrate on if you want to make any real change. It’s very easy to get off the plan or system if we do not focus on making a plan to reach our goals. For example, say you want to lose weight. You can’t just declare that you want to lose 10 kgs this year, and you have no clue exactly how. You will set yourself up for failure.

So, instead, make a plan, join a gym or sign up for a weight loss class at home, invest in the equipment first, focus on how you would want to eat right. So, in this case, rather than reaching the goal, you have to first focus on how you reach that goal. The journey is more important; since you can make plans about the journey, that is an actionable plan. An actionable plan is so much better than just having a random goal. It also gives you focus and tells you exactly what you can do.

False Hope Syndrome

When you are on the verge of reaching another New Year in your life, it is easy to ride the motivational wave. You are so full of yourself at the beginning of the new year. You are confident about what you can do and achieve. But overconfidence can often spoil the party for you. It especially happens when you do not get the desired results in a short time—for instance,  failing to make a new business work or losing even 1 kg in 1 month. Moderate your expectations, and don’t give yourself false hope. Instead, stay true to what you can achieve to what your neighbor achieved or someone on Instagram achieved.

Your Goal Does Not Match Your Values

There is a great difference between wishing for something rather than working hard for something. You can only achieve your goal when you truly want something badly. You need to truly, truly care about it. Otherwise, you will keep on making half-hearted attempts to achieve your goals. If you truly want something, you have to give your 100% to it. Otherwise, it is not going to work. Let’s face the music.

Multi-tasking Often Lands You in Failure

New Year’s resolutions mean you have to set your priorities right. Stay realistic about your goals. More like, if you have myriad goals this year, you are bound to fail. Taking on too much at once will mean you will sign up for failure. Clear, precinct prioritization is what will eventually help you achieve your goals.

A Resolution is More Like a Habit

It is not about this year or next year. Resolutions are good habits that you build for life. So, consider giving yourself rewards for small wins. It does not mean gifting yourself a cheat meal if you happen to lose a kilo or a car by the first-quarter profits of your new business. Let the rewards be small yet rewarding and motivating enough to keep you going; say you buy yourself fresh workout gear after losing the initial 2 -3 kilos.

Make your habits, and stick to them. Also, focus on your red flags, since more often than not, they are going to be the ones that can stop you or aid you in reaching your goals.