Happy New Year, folks! We have officially made it to 2024. Whether you stayed up to see the clock strike midnight or were in bed by 10pm, there is no turning back now. Per usual, I have heard the typical buzz around the “new year new me” stuff and the long list of resolutions that people have for this upcoming year. I think it is wonderful that people want to reinvent themselves or try new things this year. However, why is it that we must set vast expectations for ourselves at the strike of January first?

My science mind began to churn at the thought of how many people actually keep up with their resolutions following the new year? Naturally, I turned to the research! In a study conducted from 1978-2020, John C Norcross found that:

  1. 75% of people continue their success of keeping up with their resolutions after one week.
  2. At the two-week mark, 71% of people kept their streak.
  3. One month in, we fall to 64%.
  4. Six months in, 46% are trekking along.
  5. Interestingly, 8% of people who did not set specific goals, continued to be successful past the sixth month mark.  

As we can see by the numbers, my guess was correct. People have high hopes, but the commitment slowly drops following the New Year “high”. Why is this? I think it is important to look at the types of goals we are setting. If you are my client and reading this, get your eye rolls ready, because we are about to talk about SMART goals! Woohoo!

If your goals are not specific, measurable, attainable, relatable, or time-Based, it has been proven over an over that you are less likely to complete the challenge. I am NOT saying you are not capable of your goals; We just need to check that they are achievable for you at this time. For example, if I say I want to be a millionaire by the end of 2024, I might get my hopes up. However, if I said I want to be a millionaire by the time I am 75, well, I may have better luck. Why is this? For one, I made a SPECIFIC goal of “I want to be a millionaire”. This goal is MEASURABLE and TIME-BASED in one due to me having x number of years until I am 75 years old (nice try!). This is definitely a long-term goal, but it is ATTAINABLE and RELATABLE if this is a goal I am interested in, in addition to putting in the work of investing, consistently putting money away into my savings, and budgeting well until my 75th year. A girl can dream, okay?

As time goes by, I love to see how creative people are in coming up with new “trends”. This year, instead of the typical bullet point resolutions, the new resolutions are based on topics that are “in” and “out” for 2024. In being proactive for this upcoming year, I wanted to create my own that I intend to implement in sessions:

In:

  1. Going to therapy!!
  2. Protecting your peace.
  3. Prioritizing your mental and physical health.
  4. Drinking enough water and getting fresh air ;)
  5. Prioritizing daily “you” time.
  6. Finding self-Love and confidence
  7. Journaling daily or weekly as needed.
  8. Cleaning up your friend circle.
  9. Finding new podcasts, books, or shows for continued self-improvement.
  10. Body neutrality and dressing for yourself

Out:

  1. Toxic people.
  2. Doom scrolling.
  3. Negative self-talk.
  4. Toxic “wellness” culture.
  5. “I’m fine” or “it’s fine”.
  6. Saying “Sorry” for things that do not need apologies.
  7. People disrespecting boundaries.
  8. Worrying about others’ opinions.
  9. Saying “yes” to everything.
  10. Not taking breaks as needed.

In closing, I do want to validate that a “new year” can be anxiety provoking. There are a lot of uncertain things that may be creeping into your mind, or heavy avoidance as you cross the threshold. If you do have goals in mind for yourself, it does not have to be a long list! I hope you all find ways that may benefit you in this new year at your OWN pace. We are all on our own journey and that is okay! You are doing the BEST you can with the resources you have.

Citation:
Norcross, J. C., Mrykalo, M. S., & Blagys, M. D. (2002). Auld lang syne: success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers. Journal of clinical psychology, 58(4), 397–405. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.1151(opens in a new tab)