Well here we are, 2023. New year, new resolutions. Just more than two weeks in, here’s a question: Have you stuck to those resolutions? Or have they already fallen by the wayside?
If the latter is the case, you wouldn’t be alone, of course. According to survey results analyzed by the Discovering Happy Habits website, just a week into a given new year, 1 in 4 of those who made resolutions have already given up on them. The number only gets bigger with time. At two weeks, where we are right now, just 71% are still pursuing their resolutions. At one month: 64%. After 6 months, a majority have given up on them altogether. Of those who’ve given up, about a third felt their resolutions were unrealistic, and another third just failed to keep track of their successes. A quarter forgot about their resolutions entirely, and one in ten felt they set too many goals to reasonably achieve.
Personally, I don’t know that’s it’s healthy to make resolutions simply because it is a new year. I prefer to set goals routinely instead. Because I study psychology, I understand the power of introspection, and try to constantly take stock, evaluating my own actions or inaction.
[Related: Don't let success overshadow the necessity of long- and short-range planning]
However, like most, when the new year rolls around I do tend to look deeper inside and evaluate what goals I did not achieve in the past year – most importantly, I try to honestly assess just why. For instance, as many of you will know, I’ve been working on my PhD in psychology, certainly a daunting task on top of driving truck for a living. I have a timetable that I am trying to stick to. For most universities, the doctoral process takes about seven years to complete. My university, though, has done considerable research into why some doctoral students are successful and some are not. They have developed a four-year program with the understanding that many students who begin the journey fail to achieve the degree simply because of the length of time it takes, and because funding runs out.
While I’m on track to finish within the four-year frame, one never knows what may come up along the way. One of my goals for the new year is to adjust my time frame to complete the process ahead of schedule.
