New year….same old challenge….how can you stick to your New Year’s resolutions?
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room. New Year’s resolutions typically aren’t successful. In fact research shows that by February, about 80% will have failed. Surprisingly, it’s not a lack of willpower or discipline that leads to the downfalls. Instead, it’s largely due to the disconnect between your goals and the way your brain and body are inherently wired for change.
Understanding the relationship between your brain and goal setting is so important if you want to transform your aspirations into reality. Many resolutions falter because they are fighting against the complex mechanics of your brain, making it 10x harder than it needs to be.
For instance, vague objectives can confuse your cognitive processes, making them feel unmanageable. When it comes to setting goals, ambiguity can lead to a lack of direction. Whilst setting unrealistic expectations creates a breeding ground for frustration. And when we adopt an all-or-nothing mindset, you set ourselves up for disappointment, as any slip-up feels like a complete failure rather than an opportunity for learning and growth.
New year….same old challenge….how can you stick to your New Year’s resolutions?
Let’s deal with the elephant in the room. New Year’s resolutions typically aren’t successful. In fact research shows that by February, about 80% will have failed. Surprisingly, it’s not a lack of willpower or discipline that leads to the downfalls. Instead, it’s largely due to the disconnect between your goals and the way your brain and body are inherently wired for change.
Understanding the relationship between your brain and goal setting is so important if you want to transform your aspirations into reality. Many resolutions falter because they are fighting against the complex mechanics of your brain, making it 10x harder than it needs to be.
For instance, vague objectives can confuse your cognitive processes, making them feel unmanageable. When it comes to setting goals, ambiguity can lead to a lack of direction. Whilst setting unrealistic expectations creates a breeding ground for frustration. And when we adopt an all-or-nothing mindset, you set ourselves up for disappointment, as any slip-up feels like a complete failure rather than an opportunity for learning and growth.
Set Yourself Up for Success
For resolution success, learning how to work with the natural functions of your biology rather than battle against them is a vital step. Your brain is wired for efficiency which makes the process of change feel uncomfortable. Your habits are deeply embedded in the region of the brain responsible for making your actions autopilot by automating routine behaviours.
When you overwhelm the decision-making prefrontal cortex with drastic changes, your brain will revert to old patterns, particularly when the new changes do not yield immediate rewards. Recognising this tendency can empower you to approach resolutions with a more strategic mindset.
1. Get SMART With Your Goals
The key to sustainable change lies in harnessing the power of neuroplasticity – your brain’s remarkable ability to rewire itself in response to new experiences and learning. By adopting SMART goals—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound — you can create a framework that sets you up for success. It clarifies your intentions, guides your actions and provides your pathway to success.
2. Build Strength in Numbers
Accountability also plays a significant role in supporting behaviour change by leveraging both psychological and neurobiological mechanisms. Knowing that someone else is aware of your goals and progress can increase your motivation to stick to your commitments. This external pressure can help you stay focused and dedicated to your behaviour change efforts.
When you achieve small milestones and receive positive feedback from an accountability partner, your brain releases more of that happy hormone, dopamine. This reinforces the behaviour and encourages you to build habits that last.
Accountability can also help you to manage stress levels by providing social support. When you share your challenges and progress with someone else, you reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety, which otherwise feel like barriers you have break through alone. Regular check-ins with an accountability partner help establish a consistent routine, crucial for forming new habits.
3. Double Down on Dopamine
Establishing daily routines, whether it’s meal planning, daily exercise sessions, or meditation, nurtures habits that gradually become second nature. It’s this consistent practice that leads to substantial changes over time. And by creating small, achievable goals and acknowledging each victory — no matter how minor — we create a positive feedback loop fuelled by dopamine that propels us forward, making setbacks less daunting and more manageable.
4. Crystalise Your Focus
Alongside these strategies, understanding the deeper reason behind our aspirations is another critical element in the success equation. It’s essential to reflect on what drives us at a deeper level. Whether you’re aiming to foster vitality to engage more fully with loved ones, improve your metabolic health, find a higher level of performance at work, or improve your relationships, anchoring your goals to a meaningful purpose fortifies your resolve. This intrinsic motivation is vital for sustaining our commitment throughout the ups and downs of the journey toward our goals.
A Change System That Works
So, rather than simply make another list of resolutions for 2025, make a conscious effort to approach it differently. Commit to being part of the 20% who achieve their resolutions by aligning our goals with the mechanisms of our brains and biology. By making SMART goals, understanding the importance of systems, and connecting with our deeper motivations, you can cultivate meaningful and lasting change.
2025 is your year to set resolutions that stick and to reshape your life, transform your health and power you on to greater heights. Take a little time to understand the process, the trust in the journey and watch as your small, consistent efforts lead to a remarkable transformation.
