New years resolutions, he has one, she has one, everybody seems to have one. In fact, three in every ten Americans made a new year’s resolution in 2024 (DriveResearch). With so many resolutions people are left to wonder how many people actually stick with them? Statistics say only 9% of Americans see their goal to the end of the year (DriveResearch). With so few people following through, it’s easy to feel disheartened. To figure out how to succeed in achieving New Year’s resolutions, we need to look at why they fail. Ms. Kinonen, one of the school councilors, says she thinks New Year’s resolutions fall flat because, “…they might be setting goals that are challenging to attain or they aren’t breaking their goals down into smaller, more manageable steps.”
One reason is because people who make these goals might feel pressured to do so and don’t really want to make them. 62% percent of goal setters feel pressured to do so (DriveResearch). Penelope Schult, a sophomore at LHS, when asked whether she’s felt pressured to make a New Year’s resolution said, “Yes, I have because it’s like new year new me stuff and it’s kinda like when the new year comes around everybody makes new years resolutions to improve themselves.” This disinterest in the goal may lead to someone easily forgetting or breaking the goal.
Another reason is because the goal or goals are too big and vague. In 2025 the most popular resolution was to make more money. In fact, 52% of goals were to do this (Statista). The second most popular goal of 2025 at 46% was to eat healthier (Statista). Actually, Penelope said a New Year’s resolution she’s made is, “…eating healthier…” Both of these goals are vague, large, and sweeping. Large changes look good on paper but in practice they become hard to follow through on due to their ambiguity.
A final reason is that a person doesn’t know why they are making the resolution. They might make a big goal because it sounds good or because they feel obligated to do it. If they don’t really want to, they might ask why they signed up for this in the first place. Terri Bly a licensed psychologist says, “usually New Year’s resolutions are optional things and so if we hate doing it, any goal we set is just pain and we’re not really sure what the reward is going to be, we’re not going to do it,” (VeryWellMind). In fact, Penelope said she quits most of her New Year’s resolutions, “Because it’s like I don’t really want to do them anymore.”
There are ways to fix this though. Ms. Kinonen says one way goals can be fixed is, “to use the SMART goal setting framework so they are creating goals/resolutions that are manageable to stick with.” SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. This means narrowing down a goal from something broad and vague to something a person knows they can do, is specific, and can be measured. The goal also should relate back to a person’s life. If someone eats a very healthy diet, why would they make a resolution that involves eating healthier? Finally, your goal needs to have an end date to keep you motivated. Ms. Kinonen says this is important because if a goal doesn’t have an end date, it might get put off to, “tomorrow,” but, “tomorrow,” never comes.
Another method is to keep the long term in mind but not focus on it. You can achieve a long term goal if you break it into smaller pieces. These stepping stones will eventually lead you to where you want to be. Short term goals are easier to track and make the long term goal seem easier to achieve. This will also help you focus on the way to achieving the outcome you want. The objective of a long term goal may feel like it’s breathing down your neck and bringing your motivation and resolve down. Smaller goals assist in relieving this issue.
Ms. Kinonen also suggests habit stacking, “where you add a new activity to something that you already do on a regular basis.” For example, you could do a set of push ups or squats after you eat breakfast if your goal is to exercise more. “Another helpful strategy is to create a resolution with a friend or family member so you have someone to hold you accountable for working on your resolution,” says Ms. Kinonen.
New Year’s resolutions can be difficult to see through. Some reasons New Year’s resolutions rarely make it to the end of the year is that the goal setter doesn’t want to, the goals aren’t specific enough, or don’t see why they should follow through. Fortunately, there is hope. The SMART method, stepping stones, habit stacking, and partner resolutions can make these goals seem far more attainable and might help people thrive in the new year.
