Why Resolutions Fail

Baby Steps

This is about the time of year when people begin giving up on their resolutions in droves. I have done a lot of thinking about this fact and I think I've come up with some major reasons as to why people abandon all their grandiose goals not 1/6 of the way through the year. 

The first is all about change. This is the same reason political revolutions fail. If something was quick in changing, it will be quick in changing back. If you're overhauling your entire lifestyle (or overthrowing an entire government, I don't know what you do in your spare time) 9 times out of 10, you'll end up right where you started.

For instance, look at yo-yo dieting. Someone decides they want to lose as much weight as possible in as little time as possible, so they overhaul their entire eating habits. It normally leads to hunger and intense cravings (I don't care how many female-targeted diet brands say they can curb your late night cravings. When mama wants some chocolate at 11 pm, your granola bar's not gonna cut it) that then lead to losing the diet entirely. In most cases, people who go on these extreme diet programs will gain back all the weight they lost (lookin' at you, Kirstie Alley) and in a lot of cases, gain even more. 

Gradual change, however, lasts longer. By steadily eating slightly smaller amounts, you can actually decrease the size of your stomach. Still go for your normal snack routine, but switch to healthier alternatives. If you want something crunchy, go for carrots. If you want something sweet, go for fruit. Trade in white bread for wheat. Get a medium instead of a large. One day you'll look back and realize you actually have a healthy lifestyle and you can't remember exactly how it happened. 

Another reason I've noticed people fail is they have a sort of "perfection or bust" mentality. They want to go to the gym on a strict schedule. The first few times they can't make it, they give up the endeavor entirely. Which is asinine, as perfection is impossible. You're going to get sick, have a hectic schedule, or just forget to work out.Imagine if we took that mentality with other things in our life. Say the first time the supervisor at work had to discuss something with you that you were doing wrong (apparently at Target you can't tell people walking into your lane you're about to go on break even though NO ON PAYS ATTENTION TO THE LIGHTS ABOVE THE REGISTERS). Since you weren't doing it perfectly, your response is to quit the job entirely. Or say a student in school got a bad grade on a test and their response was to drop out of school and ride the rails as a hobo. It sounds stupid when put in those contexts, yet breaking down and having a soda (which I have not done...yet) seems to be excuse enough to return to caffeine-guzzling habits. The solution isn't to give up and wait till next year. Just take some Nyquil to beat the cold, rework your schedule, make a note. Get back to the gym the next day. Drink more water. 

 A third reason I've seen so many people fail to change is because they seem to relegate changes in lifestyle to being a strictly New Years Resolution thing. People thought it was strange that I began my resolutions before New Years. What would have been the point in waiting? It wasn't like the dead days of the holidays had magical "calories don't count" properties (but seriously, how awesome would it be if they did?). I decided I wanted to change for the better, so I started right away. And just because it's February doesn't mean it's the wrong time to change your lifestyle. My sister is making another attempt to quit smoking. As the girl who had to repeatedly leave the concert venue to stand outside so she could indulge in the habit, I wholeheartedly support this decision. Whatever, wherever, whenever the urge to shake things up for the better hits you, go for it. 

Today we have learned 

(Alternatively titled: "And so what we have learned applies to our lives today")

Beaucoup brownie points if you get that reference. 

A. You are not going to completely change yourself overnight. If you try, you're setting yourself up for failure. 

B. Short term failure is not an excuse to give up long term goals. 

C. Any time is a great time to make a better you. 

Happy February Resolutions Everybody!