Did you resolve make more money, to lose weight, get a promotion
or to take the music industry by storm? Will your New Year's resolution become
a reality?
Here is a bit of bad news: The odds are stacked against you.
A few years ago, psychologist Richard Wiseman conducted a study of 3,000 people
who had set New Year's resolutions for themselves. At the end of the year, a
measly 12% had actually achieved their goals. Other studies show even lower percentages of success, with
most of the failures happening in the first month (January).
Why do you think so few people keep their resolutions?
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteI think most people mean well when they make their resolutions at the beginning of each year. But I think the excitement of the season clouds peoples reasonable judgment about a reasonable goal and then real life gets in the way.
Veronica E. 97. Hi. Zereana, I think you are right when you say all means well when they make New Years resolutions. Most people don't like the concept of change or are afraid of it and continue to do what the are in step with. And in other ways I think life is just hectic so sometimes it is hard to keep resolutions. Making resolutions is silly to me because most of the time they are just thrown out the window, so like I said before I think people should better themselves day to day not year to year.
DeleteGreetings! Thanks for getting the conversation started. Many of great plans have gone to the way side when life happens.
ReplyDeleteTom L.
Hello Everyone! I believe New Year's resolutions are so hard to keep because most of them are made in the spirit of wishful thinking, as opposed to serious long term goals. It is also hard for most people to change unless a traumatic event occurs. Humans are beasts of habit and we usually carry out our daily lives in the same manner that we did the day before. To change our habits, it takes hard work or a drastic perspective change that changes how you view your life.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHey there Katelyn, my name is Zereana and I have fallen victim to this very thing since my early twenties. I really mean well but somehow my plans get derailed and its just so easy to fall back into my old habits. I have stuck to two things since I started this "making a new years resolution" thing. One is to make healthier food choices more often than not and the other is to carpe diem!! I've been going strong with these two for some time now and I am optimistic that they will remain. Talk with you soon. Z
DeleteKatelynN97. Hello Everyone! I believe New Year's resolutions are so hard to keep because most of them are made in the spirit of wishful thinking, as opposed to serious long term goals. It is also hard for most people to change unless a traumatic event occurs. Humans are beasts of habit and we usually carry out our daily lives in the same manner that we did the day before. To change our habits, it takes hard work or a drastic perspective change that changes how you view your life.
DeleteHi Katelyn, My name is Callie and I wanted to agree with you! I have never really had a strong new year resolution before until this year. I did have a dramatic event occur this year which is when I tore my ACL. That alone held me back from playing my last year in high school as well as I have gotten more weak. I have signed up from crossfit classes as well as running trails throughout the weak. I do believe humans are the worst for habits and it does take something dramatic to happen to make their resolution stick!
DeleteCallie G. 64
KatelynN97 in response to Callie: That is terrible! I hope you have a speedy recovery. I think most resolutions have to do with health. It is a common goal and a more difficult goal to stick to!
DeleteVeronica E. 97. Hi, I believe New Year's resolutions are just spur-of-the-moment kind of things. I think people just say them to be like everyone else. I also think that people should be trying to better themselves everyday of their life instead just for New Year's.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Veronica. I Think people just set it for New Year's but not do it everyday and then later they failed to accomplished what they had already set and go back to their old stuffs
DeleteHello Veronica, I too think that people start New Year resolutions as a spur of the moment goal with no end result.
DeleteI totally agree with you Veronica. Too many people do it as a fad for New Years
DeleteI definitely agree with you, people never give them enough thought and hardly even think about a way to put them into practice.
DeleteMadison C. 71. Howdy, New Year's is a great opportunity to reflect on how far we've come and where we hope to go next. The trouble is, most of us then proceed to set entirely unrealistic resolutions that we ultimately fail. If we set realistic goals that slowly take time and patience it would not be near as difficult to accomplish. For example, my resolution was to win first place in one of my state barrel racing competitions. I believe this is not to crazy and slowly with many more hours of practice and patience I will fulfill this goal.
ReplyDeleteHeather P. 97 in response to Madison C. 97. Howdy to you! I also feel setting unrealistic goals causes many people to fail when trying to achieve a New Year's resolution. Slow steps that can and are achieved by a person allow them to feel as if they have succeeded! The small rewards allow one to get to where they want to be. Good luck on your resolution!
DeleteHeather P. 97. Hello everyone! Keeping a New Year's resolution is a very hard task for almost anyone. A busy day to day life, unrealistic goals, and the feeling of failure seem to be a few reasons why people are often unsuccessful. I personally feel that people do not realize that achieving a goal demands a new outlook, which requires changing from the inside out. A life style change is necessary when trying to accomplish a resolution in many circumstances. Many people set a large unrealistic goal, and then feel disappointed once the goal hasn't been reached. Habits are easy, changes are hard!
ReplyDeleteTristen H. 41 in response to Heather P. 97. I completely agree with you. The fear of failing after setting unrealistic goals is why many people fail to me. They soon realize it is difficult and they'll most likely have to change around many things in their daily life. This is overwhelming for most and they just decide to opt out of the resolution to make it easier on themselves.
DeleteLuis M. 97
DeleteHeather I think just like you, we set resolutions hard to accomplish, and we do know that, but we think that we can do them because we want to do better that year. My friend said that she was going to stop smoking, stop drinking wine, eat healthier and sign up for a gym. Now do you think she kept her January first plans for the year? No.
I believe that when a person makes a new year resolution that they do so with the best intention, but most people are dunned to failure because the resolution isn't taking serious and if there is no one to hold them accountable to their word, they often fail. In life a change will only happen when a person truly desire to change or life force you to make a change.
ReplyDeleteJudy W.90
Chris W. 72 I have set many unrealistic resolutions in my past and all were made with good intentions. I often failed because what sounded good at the new year didn't stick throughout the year. I was not only not accountable but also not honest with myself at the time making the resolution.
DeleteMost people set New Year resolution as a way to encourage themselves and make a better changes to a new start but some others also failed to accomplished their new resolutions because they may have change their minds and not agreeing about themselves and their resolutions may not worked which sometimes makes them go back to their old roots.
ReplyDeleteMadison C. 71 in reply to Isabella Bonsu, well partner I somewhat agree with ur explanation. But somehow I also disagree with it. People do need to set higher goals for themselves so they can keep growing, but people dont tend to fail these goals because they "changed their mind." They may say they changed their mind but in all reality they gave up and now they are just giving people an excuse.
DeleteChelsea N.90 I feel as though a new year's resolution is no different than believing in Santa Claus as a child and coming to grips with the reality of the fictional story in later years (not saying that resolutions can't come true), but the reality of a resolution coming to fruition is a minor one. People need something greater than themselves to motivate and inspire them to be able to achieve the goals that have believed for themselves; a plan has to be made and followed through with. Maybe it's the demands of life that weigh heavy on a person making them fall back on what they promised themselves they would achieve. Resolutions are truly just make believe if there is not a consistent follow-up optimistic attitude and steps taken to truly make the wishful thoughts a reality.
ReplyDeleteSimone S.97 Chelsea I totally agree with your thought. I too believe that resolutions are something people do to help them feel better by making promises to change things they do not like about themselves going into a new year.
DeleteKevon P. 90
DeleteI did as well agree with you that these "resolutions" may sometimes fail due to life in general and need more of a push rather than restating it to oneself.
Simone S. 97 Good evening everyone. I believe the concept of new year resolution is a great way to start the next year with a positive outlook. People that make resolutions do so with every intention of following through. I think life just gets in the way of these good intentions. Resolutions should be made with realistic goals that fits into a person's individual life style and schedule and not made by what others think that person should be accomplishing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point about starting the new year with a positive outlook. However, I believe that if the only time a person is inspired to change something or better themselves is with the new year, they are not very serious about it. Further, if a person fails in sticking to the resolution, it may serve to cast the year in a more negative way. I do not make resolutions (though I have plenty of things I should work on).
DeleteAda Ohanu Online 97 in response to Simone S. 97
DeleteI believe that a resolution should be also made for yourself and not only based on how others feel. That is the whole point of a resolution is to make a change that you feel is necessary in your life. It should not be rushed nor ignored.Your point goes along the lines of what i believed too.
Callie G. 64 Hello everyone. We just had this discussion this past Sunday at my church! My pastor made a great point to everyone. His example was the negative impact it had on his entire family when his uncle passed away. His uncle passed away of a heart attack due to somewhat of a liver failure. His uncle was very unhealthy. He smoked, had bad eating habits, and rarely exercised. He saw how much pain it brought to his uncles wife and kids as well as the entire family. That motivated him to stick with his goal of being a healthy individual. From all that I learned that it is best to have a strong reason behind your resolutions. I have a goal of becoming more in shape this year as well. I am a senior in high school and I am involved in basketball. I tore my ACL and for me to be able to still hold the scholarships I have received, I need to push myself to get my knee stronger and come back better than before. The goal is to not only say you want to stay in shape just to look better, but to have a strong reason behind it. Motivation is the key!
ReplyDeleteHi Callie, I totally agree with this post, like I stated in my post, it has to be deeply rooted in you (motivation,inspiration) for you to WANT to change, you have to see a NEED for change within yourself in order to be successful in these "New Year Resolutions". You can say oh yes I want to be healthier this year but if you work out once a week and eat out all of the time, you're failing yourself. If you noticed that you started having health issues then maybe you will know that you NEED to make the changes in order to see the change in your life. Thanks for your post!
DeleteChris W. 72 I believe that many people do not achieve their new year resolutions mainly because they are unrealistic about them. Depending on the difficulty of what is trying to be achieved realistic goals need to be set. Many people want to be successful in their goals, but only a few are willing to put in the work to acheive them. If it's breaking a old habit or starting a new healthy one the amount of effort to acheive the goal must be determined. I try not to procrastinate on my resolutions until a new year, because they can be set at any time of the year. Lack of perseverance is what causes so many people to give up on their resolutions.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that people just make a resolutions at the end of the year because they think they have to. When its no where near that and you can make a resolution anytime you want.
DeleteFatmata D.90
DeleteI totally agree with you that people just make a resolutions at the end of the year because they think they have to. When its no where near that and you can make a resolution anytime you want. if most people will just stay focus on there goals then the resolution that they set will last longer than a month
Tristen H. 41 I believe that people go into a resolution with no motivation other than the idea of achieving their goal. Many people need other motivations other than just a few words. This lack of motivation often causes resolutions to fall out. They fall out because of a fear that the goal is too hard and unreasonable and convince themselves that everything is good the way it was last year. It's also the thought of change that frightens many. People realize how much they'll have to change not only their decisions, but they must rearrange their life too. Once again, it is the lack of motivation that causes a person to become scared that the resolutions are too hard and wouldn't work with their current lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteChris M. 97 Why do so few people keep their resolutions? First, I think people get caught up in the idea that they must make some type of change in order to have a successful new year, yet they are not really committed to it. Next are the people who really do want to make a change, resolve to do so, then stay in the same habits or situation that led to smoking, not working out, or over eating (for example). Any serious attempt to make a change (or keep a resolution) should be done when the individual realizes the time for a change is at hand, not because they have hung a new calendar on the wall.
ReplyDeleteChris W. 72 I totally agree with you in your idea's about not just making a resolutions because of it being a tradition of a the new calendar. Any time of the year is good for a resolution. When someone wants to change something bad enough they will not wait until a new year!
ReplyDeleteShanah E. 28 I have never been one to make a New Year's resolution. I think that it's rather rediculous that we all decide to wait until 1-1-xx to start to make a change in our lives and choose to change our ways to live our lives as the people we want to be or the people that we should be. I try to be everyday the person that my little girls are proud of, the mother that they look up to and admire, and anything less than that is just not good enough for me or them. I don't want to be lazy mother that doesn't have the energy to enjoy them in their childhood, therefor I go to the gym to stay healthy and fit for myself as well as them. I don't need January 1st an the incentive of low membership fees to lure me in...my children are my daily motivation. Besides, 3 months later when the new wears off the newbys are gonna quit anyway and the regulars will be all that left there anyway. It's those with determination and a goal that have no need for a New Year's resolution. New Year's resolutions don't work..people do it for a few days and then quit. You have to have something worth working, or worth losing, for in order for it to work.
ReplyDeleteHey Guys!
ReplyDeleteOne of the big factors that go into making a new year resolution is the pressure. Everyone is always asking you what your resolution is at new years. Sadly the pressure is why most people make them. However, whatever your reason may be for making your resolution its still a one time goal. The pattern I find suggests that when people make a choice that they wouldn't make themselves (without being prompted) they tend to brush it off when other things come up. So this once a year goal becomes very low on your priorities. Hell, there are people who come up with resolutions while drunk. So clearly over all there are TONS of reasons why people don't complete their resolutions. Clearly on this blog we have proved that fact.
So i can only speak to my life and the lives of my personal friends. This past year me and my buddies decided not to make any resolutions. We made this choice because we all knew that If we wanted something in our lives to be changed we knew that we would have to do it outside of the new year hype. For the guys who wanted to get more fit it worked out great cause they skipped the new years crowd! For me? My career is actually moving forward!
I'm better off than I ever was making those hyped up life choices. Sociology speaks to the fact that were are so heavily influenced by the society around us. However there are still decisions that we make for ourselves. We have to make sure that we hold onto those decisions and take them seriously. Don't put them into a little box infamous for failure.
Tara B. 96
ReplyDeleteI believe a majority of people who created resolutions do not keep them simply due to the fact that people have a hard time doing something the feel like they have to do, including myself. Many people see resolutions as something you have to do to feel accomplished. I read into an interesting article about one woman who said that people who want to lose weight or eat healthier should not call it a diet. If you call it a diet then you feel like you are restricting yourself from the things you want which makes you want the things you cant have even more. Calling something you want to change about you or your lifestyle a resolution is kind of a big term. Its hard to change something over night. Many things are a gradual process with trying and failing. I do not believe in resolutions and trying to quit doing a habit cold turkey. I feel like a resolution is where you mess up but realize that you did and try to correct it again.
Madeline C. 97
DeleteHello Tara! And may I say thank you! My husband has been telling me I am crazy for staying away from the word diet for the past 2 years! I don't know why my brain works the way it does, but I know that I can't stay on a diet for the life of me. Now, if I cut out half of my daily carbs intake, I can do that for months at a time. Not that I would do that for months at a time though, carbs are just too delicious. But my point is that I really agree with you about resolutions being too big of a word for most of us.
Ann L .97
ReplyDeleteFirst Sunday of the new year our Church was full to the capacity,no room even for the people to stand ,this past Sunday most people were seated and I grantee you next Sunday few benches will be empty.I strongly believe the surge was a result of new year's resolutions. I think new year resolution to majority is just a fun way to usher in a new year. I have never made one because the only resolution I can keep is to break it!!!! so join the crowd it fun and do not break a sweat to keep it :)
Lucy k.84
ReplyDeleteThis could be as a result of joing bandwagon,one feels that it's end of the year where people make wishes and so do I.To me, you have to take your time exploring your areas of needs,have resources ready and enough time because lack of enough time causes exhaustion and frustrations.Sometimes most of the people are full of excitements during new so they can say anything or do anything ,this is the time people drink a lot of beer and smoke illicit stuff and are never themselves,thus making unplanned resolutions.Be sober if you want to to succeed in anything
Chelsea N.90
DeleteLucy, I totally agree with you when you say that the beer or the intoxication of the smoking is doing more of the actual talking than the sober mind of the person. People make irrational decisions under the influence of narcotics. They cannot make logical decisions in the here and now, much less make them for the future.
Ann L .97 response to Judy W.90.
ReplyDeleteTrue , people make resolutions with best intention in mind but due to luck of seriousness and accountability they fall short their expectation. also your well stated that forces of life is the most sure way to naturally make people stick to the promise they make to themselves, well said!
Heather C.96
ReplyDeleteI feel that most people see the start of a new year as a new opportunity to make changes. However, most people are not willing to change his or her habits to break the routine they are currently in whether they are happy or not. Being a certified personal trainer I see more New Year resolutions fail than most. I think if people would make S.M.A.R.T. (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-based) goals, there would be a higher success rate but instead everyone seems to reach for the stars and most seem to come up short.
Tiffany W. 97
DeleteI agree. Couldn't have worded it better myself.
Madeline C. Online 97
ReplyDeleteI personally did not make any New Years Resolutions because I knew I wouldn't keep it. For me, it is a lot easier to procrastinate when I set goals that are for the most part, long term. I start saying, "Oh I'll get to that next week". But you probably guessed, next week never comes. Or I set something so big that I can't even see how to get there. Instead of goals like that, I try to set weekly goals, like: Go to the gym 3 times this week. These seem to work out a lot better for me and I bet they will work for other people as well. Also, if the goal is something you are 100% dedicated to attain, there is no need to wait until New Years, start planning it right away!
Jarrett M. 96
ReplyDeleteI think keeping your New Years resolution is really all up to the person. Statistics can be flawed do to the test group and what not, but it ultimately depends on the persons willingness to do so. I personally set small resolutions for myself like to find a new job or get a certain GPA for school. Those resolutions i know i can keep so i make them. Now i know most of the time people do not, but i think people do not keep them because they either forget or try to keep up with society's status quot which would mean to break the resolution
Imhoff S. 96
ReplyDeleteIn my eyes if someone is going try to achieve new years resolutions they need to have the support of the people around them. If someones goal is to eat healthy then they need the people around them to have the same goals. When ever i try to do something and no one around me supports me or has the same goal as I do I know that it makes it a lot harder to achieve my goal.
William W. 90
ReplyDeleteIf you are going to set a new years resolution you first need to come up with a plan with a set of goals. Also be mindful of some of the people you hang around with because they are a big influence on your life.People wonder why they keep failing their new years resolution year after year being blind to the fact you become the company you keep. I believe if you are going to succeed your resolution and the people around you are holding you back you need to invest in finding some new friends.
Tammy C 90
DeleteI do agree with the fact that society does indeed affect our behavior and how we think or act. If you set goals for yourself and a friend tells you that you cant or shouldn't do that, find new friends. We need to be surrounded by people who love and support us in everything we do. William, you had some great points.
William W. 90 in response Chris M. 97
ReplyDeleteI agree people don't have to wait to change if they really wanted to change they would when they told themselves. People who wait for a new year to change tend to fail changing is a working progress it's not something that happens overnight.
Dustin S. 90
ReplyDeleteI believe that New Years resolutions have such a low success rate is because of the fact that people make plans to better themselves so that they simply feel better whether or not they accomplish their goal. New Years resolutions are rarely made with the actual intention of completing them, making it quite an arduous task to keep track of. Simply making resolutions that are realistic could be a solution to the low rates of success.
McKenzie I. 96
ReplyDeleteA New Years Resolution is kind of like the first day of school. You always go into it thinking, I am going to get all A's and do the best I possibly can this year. And every year you say that, by the second or third week, you're already slacking. I think people set new years resolutions to make themselves feel better, but then when they start to slack, they know they can still get by. Just like when you start to slack at school, you know you can still get by. I also think it takes a lot of determination to get into a habit and most people just don't have the motivation to keep their resolutions.
Michael L. 97
ReplyDeletePart of my thoughts behind why people fail to keep their New Years Resolution is similar to that of the people above. People are clouded and hyped by the holidays with much enthusiasm and the desire to better themselves, but by the end of it all they are worn out and fall into old habits. I myself have much of the same problem with most resolutions, though in contrast I set more general things that aren't exactly achievable but something I can work towards. "Go somewhere new" or "Try to remember things better". They're simple. It's hard to either succeed or fail either of them, except for the first which is simply measured on a scale of how much it's succeeded.
Chris M. 97 in response to Michael L. 97
DeleteWhile I do not "do" resolutions, I do sometimes tell myself that I will work on this or that. Recently, I decided I would attempt to be less critical of people (driving habits, blocking the aisle at the store...), but I find the best way for me to achieve this is to stay home!
Deonte M. 90
ReplyDeleteI believe new years resolutions are not kept because they are made without actual resolve. if an issue or problem was so great that it causes internal conflict than why would one wait until a certain time of the year to change? people make new yeas resolutions simply for tradition. people new years resolutions should not be called resolutions they should instead be called new years ideals.
Tiffany W.
ReplyDeletePeople have good intentions. They mean well and they get excited about the new year and feel as though it will be a fresh beginning. However, once reality sets in and life responsibilities return, school/work/the kids or whatever else is going on in life can get them so busy they feel they don't have the time to do everything they said they would.
Correction... Tiffany W. 97
DeleteLuis M. 97
ReplyDeleteWe usually set our New Year's resolutions thinking that probably the upcoming year will be the year to make good changes in our lives. Unfortunately, we can't see the future to see what is going to happen. As we all know, unexpected events can change our plans, help us achieve our goals or hinder our efforts. Another cause can be our own self, giving up on our goals when we don't see the results we were hopping to see. Sometimes, other people can be part of our decision when we decided to stop. Why? Because they see you doing well and they bring you down with their negative comments. If they see little or no change in their own lives, they discourage you from achieving your plans in order to keep you on their level.
Tiffany W. 96
ReplyDeleteHi Everyone! I believe everyone gets caught up in the spirit of New Years resolutions and wishful thinking! It goes along with the saying, "easier said than done." Most people say these things like I'm going to lose weight, to make them feel better about themselves. It takes a lot more than saying to accomplish one's goals for the year. Act on it!!
Luis M. 97
DeleteAnd if a fact that people's number one New Year resolution is to lose weight. what I think is funny when I heard that, because they are usually the ones who eat all kinds of bad food. My coworker doesn't care about diets because he thinks he will never lose weight because obesity run in his family.
Shinika B-T. 96
ReplyDeleteI think that most people start New Year resolutions Just to say something that one may what to hear. some people say things like I'm going to start running on Monday and today is Tuesday. To start is to finish. We must plan the journey with the best intentions to start and end upon completion.. Get it done!!
Luis M. 97
Deleteanother thing you hear about that is, I'm not doing to worry about the calories today, because today is Wednesday. but I swear I will start my diet on Monday.
shantal acevedo 40796
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that resolutions are only to be made at the beginning of a new year. any kind of resolution or enlightenment can be made at any time. It's become more of a "everyone else is doing it so I'm going to do it too" fad. It's also become just a "part" of tradition. People don't keep them because the foundation is hollow. It's not their tradition so therefore it's useless the moment it flies out their mouths or the moment it is written on facebook.
Good evening/afternoon everyone! I believe as human beings we tend to set ourselves small and or big personal goals to achieve. Unfortunately as researched this phenomenon is only a short burst of what we can potentially do to ourselves. Now I know everyone here has set some type of New Year's resolution at some point of their life (I know I have). Now this being said, many Americans now when it is resolution season. Due to that nature I believe it has become a social norm to many people. Meaning that in the office for example, a group of co-workers are all talking about their New Year's resolution. This idea has now become a social niche that every tends to follow just to "fit-in".
ReplyDeleteKevon P. 90
ReplyDeleteHello Everyone. Around December of an ending year many different New Years resolutions are made for the hopes of accomplishing in the following year. Although some are successful, many in fact do not have any luck accomplishing them. These resolutions should be made in private rather than on discussed with others. simply due to the fact one will not feel pressure when the resolution has failed. Many fail due to old habits, yet if you believe you can do it, then you can.
Kimberly S. 90
ReplyDeleteNew Year's resolutions tend to be set at high standards and most are unrealistic to even begin to make happen. Along with that many people see their resolutions happening before they actually start them. When it comes down to it, most resolutions mean more work, and in most cases people are too lazy to change their life styles. Me, personally, I do not like much change,so I do not make resolutions.
William H.90
DeleteKimberly, I very much agree with regarding the fact that most people set unrealistic goals that they cannot achieve. However, when you said that you do not like change, I was thinking to myself that change happens in the world around us everyday no matter if we like it or not. So I feel that in order to help, My recommendation is you should try to set realistic goals that help you with positive change in your life. Even if it is small goal such as getting a an A in a class or picking a goal that you know you can achieve with hard work. My point in saying all of this is do not make resolutions, but make obtainable goals for yourself.
William H.90
ReplyDeleteNew Year's Resolution's fail because a lot of people set unrealistic, and unobtainable goals that they know they can not achieve. Also most people have a lack of discipline to even follow a game plan that they have for themselves, therefore they fail to achieve their individual goals. Most people that set resolution's normally do not even have the time to put into a goal because of there work schedules or family life. By nature people are normally lazy which means that they are not going to put in the sweat equity to accomplish what they want out of life. I personally do not make resolution's, I make realistic and obtainable goals. This is an intelligent game plan that I feel would help more people if they took it to heart.
Ada O. Online 97
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people do not keep their resolutions due to the fact that they can't keep up with the pace of life in that moment of time. People believe that a resolution has to be done within a certain amount of time. I don't believe that is true because I believe that it shouldn't matter when it gets done as long as it it at a time you are mature and ready to change.
Austin T. 96
ReplyDeleteI think that people set goals to high to start off with. Instead of saying "I want to loose 5 pounds this week or this month" they say that they are going to go all year without eating fast food or eating healthier every meal. I believe that it easier to take it one step at a time (i.e. loose 5lbs this week) then to say "I am going to loose 100lbs this year". I think that people would be better off just setting weekly or monthly goals then at the beginning of the year setting this huge goal that is unrealistic because life gets in the way and things come up. At least if you set a weekly goal you already have a pretty good idea what that week is going to in-tell so you can work your goals into that week.
Marganette P 90
ReplyDeleteI think so few people keep their new year's resolutions because most of them do not have a motive and a plan.Some of them think of it like a fun thing to say. It is easy to tell everyone my new year resolution is to loose weight, or quit smoking, but it is not easy to give up fast food or nicotine. I believe, if that same obese person or the smoker have been told by their doctor that it is important to loose weight or quit smoking otherwise you will have a short time to live; they would have a motive, and make a plan to do so. To me it is not necessary to say I have a new year resolution; it is better to have a motive for a change, and make a plan to accomplish it.
Michele S 96
ReplyDeleteI think people don't stay on track with their for a few different reasons. One being money. Let's say my resolution this year was to make better choices in the food I eat. It's not cheap to buy healthy food. Or, if I said I wanted to travel more. It takes money to that too. Another reason I believe people don't stick to resolutions is time. Most people work, some go to school, and others have obligations to groups such as taking your kid to baseball practice or church related events that you have committed your time to. My last reason is energy. Not everyone feels like stopping by the gym on their way home. It's hard to find the motivation sometimes.
Salome N 97
ReplyDeleteI think most people fail to keep their resolution because, they make their resolution as goal instead of doing an action by working hard towards their resolutions. For example if you need to pass sociology you need to work hard towards it.
Salome N 97 in response to Shinika B -T 96
ReplyDeleteI agree with you because everything must have a plan and arrangement also be ready to work extra hard to accomplish your goal.
Valrika L. 90
ReplyDeleteI think why most people fail their New Year's Resolutions is because most people set it because that is what is expected to do in America. We do not need or have to set a New Year's Resolution for the New Year. All we really need are goals that we need to set for ourselves during the first couple of mouth of the year and each much see how your made progress or not. We come into a new year blind to what happens next, then we start setting goal or resolutions we know we wont be able to handle or complete. In addition, most people put all the work in make up these resolutions and writing them down. Then actually showing effort to complete them.
Kelsey B. 96
ReplyDeleteI think that most people do not keep up with them because in my opinion most of the resolutions are habits or addictions that people are trying to brake. Habits and addictions are really hard to brake because people today are used to doing it all the time or some use them as a emotional crutch. so they will try but eventually will turn back to it because it is kind of stuck in there brain like a daily routine.
Ashley M. 96
ReplyDeleteI myself do not make New Year's resolutions because I think it's a bunch of bologna. A person must be motivated in order to improve themselves. To some, a new calendar year may represent a new start but why wait? Change now. Change because you want it for yourself. It doesn't matter what day of the year it is, without an intense will and desire to change it will not happen.
Courtney R. 97 Responding to Ashley M. 96
DeleteI don't make resolutions for myself personally, mostly because of what you have pointed out. I understand how the turning of the year can cause a certain 'wake up' because it's a reminder that yet another year has passed. For some people that may be a great motivator to regroup your goals and get focused on the year to come. Myself however, I will always find the motivation, no matter how deep I have to dig, because my resolutions don't happen once a year. It's an on going process, haha.
Cassie S. 97
ReplyDeleteI believe that so many people make New Year’s Resolutions because it is their hopes and dreams. Like anything else though people give people give up on their hopes and dreams. They make resolutions to make them feel better. Especially when people say that they are going to exercise more or to eat better. I believe that people make these resolutions, so they can be bad during the holiday’s saying they will do better in the New Year. I also believe that people make New Year’s Resolutions because it is kind of like a tradition. It could be part of their culture. Also, some New Year’s Resolutions are a little too farfetched. It is hard to make a resolution to get a promotion because it is hard to control. You can try, but it may not happen. Personally, I do not make a New Year’s Resolution anymore. I have come to realize that I do not need a New Year’s Resolution to do something. If I want to do something I do it, and if I do not want to do something I don’t. I also do not want to make a resolution because I don’t want to disappoint myself.
Cassie S. 97 in response to Chris. W. 72
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. Some people who set their New Year’s Resolution are being unrealistic. People need to realize that we cannot control everything. People also have a goal, but don’t’ want to work at it. They believe it will just happen. People also are procrastinators. They keep putting it off, and then at last they just don’t follow it at all.
Jersy T 97 I think everyone fails at their resolutions because just like a diet they push it off until it has to be done or whenever the "right moment is" I read this thing online about how the only reason people do resolutions at the beginning of the year is because people feel like New Years is like your mom telling you what to do and giving you the push you need. But if that's true then I guess everyone is a disappointment to our moms haha. I think people really want to achieve their goals but truth is, 70% probably aren't going to go through with it because everyone is just so lazy.
ReplyDeleteMeredith J. 96
ReplyDeleteI believe that when people start their resolutions they start off with too high of expectations. I know from experiences that when you set your goals or resolutions too high, it can be very overwhelming. This year, I did not set any because I tend to not follow them. I believe people become lazy as the time goes on and they just tend to give up on themselves. If people want to make goals for themselves, why do they need to wait? Why not just start them now? I tend to ask myself that a lot. The main point is that I think people are lazy and just procrastinate and just put their goals on hold.
I could not agree more. People jump to extremes on trying to improve themselves. Laziness is also a big key in it. I am trying to lose weight and I am taking baby steps in cutting out the bad food that I eat. I am having a lot more success doing it this way than just going on a strict diet. I cut out pop first and then sweets and I do not even miss them and I love pop and cookies. I always say if you believe you will achieve.--Cherish S.
DeleteDarian P. 90
ReplyDeletemy opinion is that people who do not set a new years resolution, they are not pushing themselves to spring a new leaf, or leave old things behind. I think that setting new goals such as a resolution helps you outline and put your life into a better perspective for some. Challenge yourself to do something different each year. Setting different goals is controlling your vision of you. Rather than floating through life without a plan.
Cherish S. 97 Why do I think so few people keep their resolutions? I think a lot of people do not keep their New Year's resolutions because they always make too many goals at once. I have learned that you have to fix things in your life one step at a time. I am trying to lose weight and I am taking it one step at a time. For instance, I first cut out pop, then I cut out sweets, and I take something unhealthy in my life and I cut it out in steps. When people set goals they try to make something too extreme like instead of taking small steps with weight loss they are trying to cut everything out at once and you end up stopping because too many people give in to temptation. Also I think you shouldn't only make goals at the New Year. If you are determined to make improvements in your life then you need to always work on them.
ReplyDeleteCourtney R. 97
ReplyDeleteI have always thought New Year's resolutions were pointless. I think that so many people don't follow through with their resolutions because they just made some stuff up for the sole purpose of participating in something that has become a tradition. With social media you see all these optimistic posts about the new year, it's advertised on television, and with the turn of the calendar you are reminded of how time is flying by. It makes sense that it is a time of reflection, but give it a few weeks, get back to your routine after the holidays, and you forget you even made a resolution. I just always have to remind myself throughout the year that every day is a new day and you can go where you want with it.
Janetta C. 96
ReplyDeleteI feel as a society one reason we make New Years Resolutions are to improve ourselves to fit in. A person is more likely to keep a resolution if they are doing it for themselves and not because of what others think about you. If people would set smaller more realistic goals they would be more likely to achieve them and keep them.
Everybody has a New Years Resolution at the beginning of the first of the year. Many people say they will work out, eat better foods, stop drinking or smoking, but when it comes down to it, many people will only do this for maybe about a week or more and than stop. The people that actually do their New Years Resolution and keep on going is because they want to help better themselves and not listen to what the other people have to say around them. When you go out to drive you see fast food everywhere and its so hard not to say no, and when you keep on eating these fatty foods, its so much harder to complete your goal. Other people do not complete their goal because they have a full time job, and when they come home from work they do not want to work out, or eat a salad every night for dinner. All in all many people do make a Resolution each year but very few of the people acutally do this.
ReplyDeleteHey everyone, I am Darrell. Base on the question, I think few people keep their New Year Resolution simply because they were able to focus on the most important realistic goal on their list, and work towards it avoiding repeated past failure, getting support from family, remembering that changes is in process and renew motivation
ReplyDeleteTammy C 90
ReplyDeleteI believe people have good intentions when they set new years resolutions but have a hard time keeping them. See here is the problem, life happens and people get very busy. They want to keep their resolutions but find it difficult to stay on task. I believe from experience that people struggle with daily routine. People these days are scattered and not very organized so they find it difficult to stay on schedule. One more thing, it all depends on how motivated they are in accomplishing their goals.
I believe that when people think to set goals/resolutions, they are looking at what they have not done and want to better themselves, so therefore the New Years Resolutions come about, it's a fresh start for them, but what they fail to realize is, things from their life from the year before is still there, depending on what the goal is, they could possibly keep it, but you can't turn your life around just because the next day is a new year, it's a process, so it has to deeply rooted within them to want to change and not just a thought process. That's why I believe so few people don't keep up with their resolutions that they've set for the new year.
ReplyDeleteAndrew F 90
ReplyDeleteI think many people fail at their New Year Resolutions because they set themselves up for it. It is easy to say you are going to exercise everyday for the next year but it probably will not happen. We try to run before we can even crawl. So when we try to reach our extremely high goals and then inevitably fail, we give up. It is called baby steps. So instead of getting up walking everyday, we should say we are going to walk twice a week.
A Sheffield 96
ReplyDeleteI believe that people do not achieve their resolutions because usually they are wanting to break a habit. It takes 30 days on average to break or start a new habit. People typically don't make it to that 30 day period and slip into their old habits or just don't act on the new one. Also the resolution may not be really important to them. Such as working out, yeah people might want to lose a couple of pounds but when that slice of pizza is staring you in the face you might get tempted.
Megan E 96
ReplyDeleteI believe that the social pressures to create a new years resolution are very high in todays society. The importance placed on appearances usually means that people tend to pick that topic to please everyone else. The individual picks their new year resolution without being ready to fully commit to making it work. The holidays are full of sweet treats and by new years these temptations are still lingering around making it easier for a already wavering resistance to be broken down. The consequences for breaking your new years resolution are minimal because you can rationalize that very few people do keep their resolution making it the norm to make and break one.
Sophia P. 96
ReplyDeleteI think that people don't keep their resolutions because they aren't thinking in terms of a permanent lifestyle change. By starting at such a specific time, it's almost implied that there will be an end point. Most resolutions are fairly extreme lifestyle changes: lose weight, quit smoking, exercise more, etc. These aren't things you can do overnight, but people want instant gratification. New Years resolutions are basically a code word for procrastination; if you were going to follow through and make a change, you would start at any time of the year.
Fatmata D.90
ReplyDeleteI think the reason why people don't keep their new years resolution is because most people don't like change. I also think that it has a lot to do with there social lifestyle. If they are around certain people that do a certain thing all the time it will be hard to change that up because then that becomes a way of life and that will be what the know. I feel that many people say that they going to do a new years resolutions for the heat of the moment.
Logan C.64
ReplyDeletePeople are hasty. While there is the occasional exception this is a true statement.
Thus people tend to make hasty decisions during the new years. They are caught up in the emotions of a year ending and parties and decide that 'This time, I will change.' While real change comes about from dedication and hard work. Then once the high ends they realize that they don't really want to change, or at least don't want to do the work required to change. So we see the majority of resolutions flop.
Sarah m 97
DeleteI agree with your opinion that people tend to make hasty decision every new year. I think every decision result centers on individual personality type.
Sarah M 97
ReplyDeleteFirstly, i think people should understand the word resolution. The word resolution simply means a firm decision on what and what not to do. Everyone have their new year's resolution but unfortunately, it's always very hard for people to keep to their resolution. As a person, i think before a resolution can be made real; it as to do with personality type. Your personality determines your resolution result.
Ryan P 96
ReplyDeleteI disagree with those who say people are afraid of failure. Most people who have resolutions are not telling the whole world what they are. Usually, we keep them to ourselves or share with a few people close to us. Therefore, if we fail, only ourselves or a few others will actually know that we fail. I think the actual reason that so few follow through with their resolutions is that most of us do not deal with lifestyle changes that well. We are creatures of habit. It is very hard to start/stop doing something we have/have not been doing.
I agree with this statement we are creatures of habit and to stop something isn't easy as well as to start doing something your not used to. I know a lot of smokers and two out of ten of them that said they were going to stop smoking actually did. Both the guys who did had made resolutions before but never fell through on it and it wasn't until they saw how sick they were or saw the effects of smoking first had at the hospital that they actually quit.
DeleteLike myself most people are in high hopes for the start of a new year. The new year is a symbol to me of a fresh start and to let go of the past deeds I've done. So with this said each year I try to commit to staying on a path of goals I set for myself. I find it very difficult to just up and change a way of life over the course of months or a year but I always try and have set many goals with only few coming true. To me its only human nature to not want to change when your life is comfortable because you don't know what happens next and rather or not it'll truly be for the good or the bad. The way I'm trying this year is to set a short list of small goals this year like for instance maybe lose 7lbs by the end of January as well as add more money to my savings. These goals don't involve drastic change and I'll be able to make few choices that normally I wouldn't make to keep on track. the other reason behind why people don't keep their resolution is due to the lack of constant motivation. having a partner will help increase success rates in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteShannon P. 90. Hi everyone. In my humble opinion and personal experience, the concept of a New Year's resolution is more of a trend than any real goal. Human beings are competitive by nature. When we hear our neighbor vow in the new year they'll exercise more, spend more time outdoors and make twice the amount of money they did last year, naturally we want to come back with something that will impress them whether we know it's a realistic goal or not. Now we might carry it on for a few weeks because we feel obligated; everyone has their eyes on us waiting to see if we actually do it. When all the excitement and hype for the new year dies down and everyone settles back into routine, a quick conversation we had with friends about changing our lives because we felt a little inspired right then, or a Facebook post we made about new goals to get likes is forgotten and usually holds little truth to the way we're actually living. Dreams and goals are beautiful things and without them we'd all probably be a little lost. But real goals are the ones that we lay awake at night thinking about, the ones that are constantly on the forefront of our minds and the ones that are the driving force behind our decisions. There aren't pre-set time frames or starting dates for achieving the things we really want, our lives are already revolving around them.
ReplyDeleteShannon P. 90
ReplyDelete@Ann L. 97. I love your use of the word 'fun' to describe resolutions. In the mix of all the vacation time, food and parties it's easy to get carried away and decide that you want to change your life. It's easy to promise yourself that you will make changes when you are away from reality and full of joy, contentment and (probably) beer. When the second week of the new year comes around and we're forced back into the real world we can usually see why we didn't do these things before.
Chris G 95
ReplyDeleteI feel that the majority of people don't complete their resolutions because most of them get lazy. There could also be other factors that prohibit people from completing their resolutions. The few amount of people that achieve their resolutions may just have a stronger drive to complete their resolutions than others.
I think people dont really dig deep into the goals they set. like some people even forget their goals by the following morning. they just want to live in the moment of setting goals but they really dont want to achieve anything.
ReplyDeleteChris G 95
DeleteI completely agree with this. Some people set goals just to set them and never work toward completing them
People don't keep their resolutions because it is a high standard. They try to start off a new year doing something drastically different. I think they don't keep up with it because the second they slip up and fail, they think it's over and they have ruined it for the year. They then wait for next year to start and fail all over again. They resolutions are a never ending cycle of failure simply because of the "time crunch" everyone outs on it.
ReplyDeleteKeeping a resolutions to me is making promises to yourself through the year that you just don't keep. When making a resolutions it should be practical and small. Resolutions are for small changes that you would like to make in your life and being sincere about the changes
ReplyDeleteI believe the reason for people not keeping their new years resolutions is because they put unrealistic expectations on themselves. We live in a society where we all desire instant gratification and when we don't immediately get what we want, we tend to give up. I think this is the reason for so many failed attempts at life changing choices.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the goals most people set are not realistic. They get close or sometimes dont even try and they become indecisive and give up. they want the body of a superstar in the time of a week and when this doesn't happen they give up. I do believe this is the reason why most people don't keep their resolutions
ReplyDeleteAmandaB96 I think that many people set goals such as exercising, eating better every year because many of their other friends have that same goal and they want to try to do this but they do not succeed at this. Why is this? Many people have full time jobs, they are married, have children, and even go to college full time. When you get home from work you just want to rest. Even with the eating many people try to eat better for maybe about a week and then go back to their old habits because even though eating healthy is better, its just quicker to eat what we like.
ReplyDeleteIsabel 96
ReplyDeleteI think that people dont keep there resolution because they want the change to happen right away. Like for the ones that want to loose weight they do it the first couple of weeks and since they dont see a drastic change they get upset and gove up. but loosing weight is takes time and dedication. When I graduated from high school i gained weight like crazy I gained 30 pound I weight 210 and that was my last years resolution and I didnt it lost 20 pounds and it was hard because i couldnt eat a lot of things but I made it through. And still in progress of loosing more.