It’s that time of year again. End of year, when everyone get’s pumped up to rush through the final bit of this year and into the new year where everything will change. Eager for the New Year to set new resolutions for change.

Only problem is… 80% of resolutions fail by February.

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It’s true. After you get all hyped up over that one thing you’re dying to change, the excitement fizzles in less than a month. But have no fear… we’re going to chat about why these ambitious resolutions fail so you can avoid these vital mistakes in your new year planning. Plus some tips on how to actually make a change this new year.

Why your New Year’s Resolutions are failing:

# 1 Resolution Fail Reason: Negative based

This is like goal setting 101 friends… often resolutions sound like this: lose weight, quit smoking, get out of debt. All based on things you believe are fundamentally wrong with you and need to change by force. These changes are great shifts in your life and all grounded in negative reasoning…

I don’t look right, so I need to lose weight.
I have a habit that is wrong, I need to get rid of it.
Debt is shameful, I must escape it.

There was a path that created these habits in your life, and that path was not wrong. Shaming yourself feels heavy, so instead of moving into a solution that you want in your present you rebel against change. The negative resolutions feel like all or nothing, lose weight or stay this way forever. Get out of debt or keep living with money problems.

+ Tip to create better resolutions: Focus on what you desire instead of what you want to get rid of 

# 2 Resolution Fail Reason: Nothing backing it

This is by far the biggest problem I see with resolutions. High ambition to change with absolutely nothing backing it. Just because it’s the start of a year, isn’t a good reason to create a change, and your brain does not buy that. Your brain is constantly looking for evidence to complete something. If you say you want to run your first marathon this year and then don’t put anything else behind that, your brain will go: we’ve never done a marathon before soooooo….. that’s where we’ll begin. If there’s nothing back your resolution, no plan + no heart, then you will default to the evidence you have to work with.

+ Tip to create better resolutions: Back your resolutions with a solid plan + a big why

# 3 Resolution Fail Reason: No accountability

Q: Who is the person you can hide from the easiest?
A: You.

Is it possible to create resolutions without letting anyone else in on them? Absolutely. And our power goes way up when we share our mission with someone else.

I have trouble motivating myself to get to my home gym. I sit on my couch and think to myself, I really need to work out. I let a few moments pass by, and then I think well… I didn’t tell anyone I was working out, so no one knows I changed my mind.

On the flip side, if I sign up for a group fitness class at my favorite spin studio, you bet I’m there every time, because I know my favorite instructors will check in on me on Instagram if I miss.

Your empty excuses aren’t valid to the people who are invested in your highest good.

+ Tip to create better resolutions: surround yourself with accountability in your life. I have a coach, a biz bestie… or three, a mastermind group I check in with; all where I share my goals and progress.

# 4 Resolution Fail Reason: Unrealistic/overwhelm-prone

You go to set your resolutions for the year and you haven’t put much thought into it, other than, I’m going to make changes this year. Then maybe you get caught up in what everyone else around you is achieving instead of what you really want.

In the online business world this is what I like to call the $10k effect. Suddenly $10k months became the cool thing to say in marketing, and then everyone who wasn’t making the magic $10k felt shameful, confused, and like a failure. So they pushed and pushed to make this happen and met resistance and more confusion. You can absolutely leap in life and you have to take steps to get there. If you have zero audience, zero revenue, and zero plan… chances of you making a $10k month tomorrow are unicorn status.

Setting big goals or resolutions is a great idea and if you don’t look at it with a realistic view with a map to get there, overwhelm will set in faster than you can say new year, new me.

+ Tip to create better resolutions: When setting your resolutions look at the tools you have to get there and be sure to map out a step-by-step plan.

# 5 Resolution Fail Reason: Based on other’s expectations 

Setting a goal based on someone else’s expectation is like telling a toddler to not pick their nose. Pointless.

If you set your resolutions based on someone else’s opinion of where you should be instead of where you want to go, you are giving some of your power away. You know what’s best for you and you are the only one that knows that. Your happiness is completely up to you, not what other’s want from you. You are a complete source of happiness. When you create resolutions based on what YOU want, you actually want to move towards them!

+ Tip to create better resolutions: Remember the people who love you the most are happy when you are happy, healthy, and loved. Give all of that to yourself in your resolutions.

There you have it, five reasons new years resolutions don’t work and how to change those so you can have a wildly successful 2019!

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