New Year's Resolution Failure

We are now entering Resolution Week...the name I have coined for the week between Christmas and New Years. The week when so many of us think about what we want to make as a New Year's resolution. Kind of like a birthday wish before blowing out the candles...only a bigger deal.

So with all good intentions, we think about all that we want to change in our lives. Our weight. A habit, such as smoking, that we want to stop. Relationships we want to change. For many, the list of "dream" changes is long.

But, heck this is (soon to be) New Years. A fresh start. Filled with all kinds of new possibilities. Ahhhh, hope springs eternal.

But, the sad fact is that studies have shown that most have broken their New Year's resolutions within weeks, if not days.

Health club memberships skyrocket about this time of the year. Actual attendance at health clubs is strong in January, and by February is starting to taper back to the core group of members that workout year round.

So the obvious question is:

Why do so many well intentioned people fail with their New Year's resolutions?

The most basic answer lies in a concept that was taught to me, many years ago, by Tony Robbins. Tony has long proclaimed that if you really want to change anything you must start immediately. Immediately!

If something is important enough for you to change, then why would you wait?

I so often have people tell me that they will start a new program next week or next month. What that tells me is that they are not really serious about changing.

If one is serious about losing weight, for example, one could...and should...start today. Putting the start off to next week, or to January 1, or to next month is just proof that the person does not want the change enough.

Change is difficult for most people. If one doesn't want to change enough to start immediately, then it is doubtful that one will have the willpower to take all the steps to root the new behavior.

Planning a New Year's resolution or two? If you are serious, really serious, about the changes you want to make, you will start today. Your start may not be perfect, as you may be missing some needed assistance. But, nevertheless, you can get started today.

In those famous words from Nike, "Just Do It."

Coming Tomorrow: Success with New Year's Resolutions, the second post in the series Countdown to New Years.