Most New Years Resolutions Suck: Here’s Why Yours May Be Setting You Up for Failure
Small Goals Are the Key to Success
New Year’s resolutions are among the most notable traditions that people participate in during the new year. The idea is good, but the execution of goals is often lacking. Here’s why: the goals you’re setting are too big.
Why Are Large-Scale Goals Uneffective?
Large goals are critical for long-term success however, by setting large goals at the beginning of the year, you are setting a high bar without the necessary steps.
The problem with large goals is that motivation to achieve large goals is at a high near the beginning of the year. However, because said goals are so large, burnout is inevitable early on. Suddenly these large goals are left unobtained by the next year.
Large goals set you up for burnout, exhaustion, and disappointment. The only way to set up goals for the year that will work is to start small.
Small Steps Towards a Larger Goal
Goals are just like working through a recipe when cooking.
For example, if you were to execute a recipe, it wouldn’t do you any good if the recipe only said to make the dish. The key to making any good dish is a full recipe with smaller steps in between. This is the same framework for developing an achievable New Year’s resolution that will not leave you burnt out after a month.
While smaller goals may not give you the same rush of excitement starting the year, they will provide a way to achieve success by the end of the year.
The idea of small goals isn’t to limit your goals but rather to make incremental steps towards them. Small goals are the building blocks behind large dreams and goals.
Large goals are good to strive for, but small steps are necessary.
How Do I Set Practical Small Goals?
There’s a difference between making a small goal that sets you up for progress and a goal that you could meet in an hour.
Small goals don’t necessarily mean setting the bar low but reframing and refining your goals. Here’s an Example:
Original Goal:
I will run a lot every day this year.
Problems with Original:
- Broad References: “Run a lot”
- Unrealistic timeframe: “every day”
Revised Goal:
I will run once a week until I can run for 25 minutes straight.
Improvements:
- Specificity in goal: “Run for 25 minutes straight”
- Realistic timeframe: “Run once a week”
There are 3 cardinal rules to setting small goals:
Have a realistic timeframe: Be observant of your current commitments and set your goals around them.
Be Specific: Associate certain numbers or results with your goals.
Don’t Go Too Big: Start small with your goals and work up from there.
Start small and work your way up to see efficient, uplifting progress throughout the year rather than disappointment when 2026 comes around. Being realistic about what you can achieve and recognizing that starting small is how goals are achieved will allow you to become successful this year. If you implement this idea into your New Year’s resolution you will be 100% closer to success.
I urge you to set that large goal off to the side for this year. Start small and work your way up, so your New Year’s Resolution really does meet a resolution.
