Thursday, March 13, 2025

How Is Your 2025 New Year’s Resolution Going?

If you’ve given up already, don’t worry. There’s a better time to make a resolution—with a better chance of sticking to it

By Jim Oostenbrink, Regional Director, Kelowna Member Centre

If you are like most “resolutionists,” you are probably asking yourself, what resolutions?

Most resolutionists have quit by the second Friday in January. This day is also known as National Quitters Day. A few resolutionists do hang in there until mid to late February.

Did you know that well over 75 percent of people abandon their resolutions within the first 2 months of the year? Some reasons for giving up include

unrealistic goals,
lack of planning,
going too hard or extreme,
lack of motivation,
lack of energy, and
bad time to make a resolution (feeling sick, tired).

Did you even make a resolution? Fewer and fewer people even bother to make a resolution. It varies by age group as to the likelihood of setting a goal. The older you are, the less likely you are to make a resolution. Consider the stats below:

Age Bracket Making a Resolution

18-29 – 49%

30-39 – 31%

40-64 – 21%

65+ – 14%

Making resolutions is not a new thing. The ancient Babylonians made New Year’s pledges over 4,000 years ago!

So, why do we keep on making resolutions when we are so likely to fail . . . every year? Less than 10 percent of resolutionists keep their pledge for 2 years or longer.

Well, maybe, just maybe, the failure rate has something to do with when we make the resolution?

Making a resolution in January during the cold and dreary winter season may not be the smartest time of year to start. In the midst of the cold weather, we tend to winter indoors and hibernate. We seek hearty foods and warmth and comfort. The Danish have a word for it: hygge, which suggests extreme coziness.

So, if January 1 is perhaps not the ideal time to make that big commitment, when should you do it?

May I boldly suggest that April is a much better month to make that life-changing decision.

April is a time of renewal, a time of increased energy, and a time to come out of hibernation. It is a more natural time of year to make a change.

April weather boosts motivation with far more outdoor activities available. Shake off the winter blues and get a jump on the spring!

So, you think you are ready to make that resolution in April? Not so fast. Think about what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there.

8 Resolution Guidelines

Commitment to the goal – Do you really want to achieve this goal, and is it worth the sacrifice?
Realistic – Is your goal attainable in the time frame you have set?
Write the goal down – Move it from a thought to an action item.
Plan – How are you going to achieve your goal? write down the steps. Start planning in January.
Flexibility – Be adaptable to changes that come your way.
Reminders – Once a week, visualize achieving your goal and why you made it.
Tracking – Track and measure your progress.
Reward – Reward yourself along the journey for milestones achieved.

Another way to remember these guidelines is with the acronym SMART.

Specific – What is it you want to achieve?

Measurable – Measure your progress.

Attainable – Plan an achievable and challenging goal.

Realistic – Does the goal fit in with your work and personal schedule?

Time – Your goal should have a specific time frame (i.e., one month, three months, one year).

Most importantly. use the January to March months to develop your goals and plans to achieve them.

Get ready to ring the bell! Okay, I am dating myself with the Rocky movies.

Do you know what type of resolutions most people made for 2025? Most (52 percent) chose physical health as their top goal: get fit, stay healthy, exercise more, lose weight, etc. Other goals included

financial (save more, spend less, pay off debt),
social (spend more time with family and friends), and
personal (travel more, get a new look or a new hobby).

Whatever your goal, you now have a second chance this year. Even if you gave up on that New Year’s resolution or did not even make one, now is the time to make positive change. If you follow the SMART guidelines and make that resolution in the spring, you will have a higher probability of success in sticking to your goals in the long term.

It will require effort, commitment, and dedication. It’s your goal and your challenge! As the University of British Columbia’s motto says, Tuum Est, which means, it is yours, or it is up to you!

Written by a humanoid without any AI assistance!

How Is Your 2025 New Year’s Resolution Going?

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