If you’re starting the new year on the right foot by making resolutions, be careful what you wish for. The resolution might be a challenge with a bigger cost than anticipated.
Setting goals – especially in line with the turn of the calendar – is a noble pursuit. Keep in mind that unless you’re highly disciplined, or realistic with your expectations, there can be pitfalls.
According to consumer data company Statista, only 22 percent of Americans stuck to their resolutions one month into 2022. Another 63 percent never made any resolutions, the company’s research showed.
Things aren’t much better overseas. A recent study from the United Kingdom revealed that nearly two-thirds of respondents abandon their resolutions within a month.
The goal of resolutions is to improve – yourself, your career, your health, your family. Goal-setting is good for the mind, and research shows that having a specific goal not only inspires action toward that end, but increases the chances of completing that goal, because neurons in the brain are rewired to that purpose.
Speaking of the brain, Americans apparently can use some help on that front. A recent Gallup poll shows that only 31 percent of Americans consider their mental health to be “excellent,” the lowest rate recorded in polling in more than two decades. Perhaps making plans for the new year can improve that aspect.