Did you make any New Year’s resolutions?
It’s January again. That time of year when we convince ourselves this will be the year we radically reinvent our lives. New habits. New routines. New you.
And yet for so many, year after year, those well-intended resolutions quietly turn into broken promises.
Why?
Because New Year’s resolutions are the perfect setup for failure.
Millions of us will make New Year’s resolutions. Sadly, by Valentine’s Day, over 80% of them are already abandoned.
From my perspective, any strategy with an 80% failure rate is probably worth passing on.
Why do so many well intended Resolutions Fail
The problem isn’t willpower. It’s biology.
Human beings are wired for consistency, not radical overnight change. Our days are built around habits, routines, and patterns that help us function. Those same patterns, however, are stubborn and difficult to disrupt without intention and patience.
If you doubt this, try something simple. Move the garbage can in your kitchen or office. Then count how many times you still walk to the old spot.
Here’s the good news. There is a solution.
Instead of a New Year’s resolution, try creating a New Year’s plan.
And just like most Quarter Turns, it’s simple.
Instead of asking yourself to make one massive, life-altering change, create a series of small, incremental shifts that move you toward a larger goal over time.
Small shifts. Big impact.
Here’s an Example
Let’s take the most common resolution out there like getting back into shape.
If you’re currently exercising zero times per month and decide that starting January 1st you’ll work out five days a week, how long do you really think that will last?
A week? Maybe a month?
More often than not, it’s too big of a leap. And when it falls apart, the bonus prize is guilt, frustration, and beating yourself up for “failing.”
Sound familiar?
What if instead, you committed to a brisk walk twice a week? Maybe you increase the odds of success by inviting a friend, your partner, or your dog to join you.
Will that alone give you washboard abs and shed 20 pounds? Probably not.
But it will get you moving, build consistency, and create momentum.
If you can stick with it for a month, add another day. Then maybe some light strength training. Then a structured plan.
Activity breeds success and momentum compounds like interest.
This Works for Anything
The same approach applies to organizing your home, learning an instrument, paying off debt, starting a blog, or building a new skill at work.
Insert your goal into the formula.
Start small. Choose commitments you can keep. Build habits gradually.
The Real Win
When you keep small commitments, you start to trust yourself again.
More importantly you prove through action that change doesn’t require punishment or perfection. It requires patience and intention.
When you ditch the New Year’s resolutions and start aligning your habits with the person you want to become, that’s when real change happens in your business and in your life.
That’s the New Year’s Resolution Solution
Cheers to making meaningful, intentional changes this New Year…
One Quarter Turn at a time.
Thought for the week:
“Big things often have small beginnings” -Unknown
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