Only 8% of people keep New Year's resolutions due to unattainable goals

Experts say to leave unattainable goals in 2021 and start 2022 with little steps toward fulfilling resolutions. Graphic by HARRY LADA, Art Director  

Bidding farewell to those 20 pounds, trying to reconnect with society and improve relationships, magically landing that dream job — all of these life-altering aspirations begin spiraling around people's minds when the clock strikes midnight Dec. 31. 

According to Forbes, the aforementioned goals  are the most popular New Year's resolutions. But without a commitment to action, these are just overly optimistic ambitions, with no plan, no motivation and no habitual nature attached to them. And the reality is, less than 8% of people follow through on their resolutions. 

So how is it possible for someone to actually land their dream job? Because, let's face it, not everyone can get into Harvard and become a lawyer as simplistically as Elle Woods. 

Michael Baker, a psychology professor at Chapman University, told The Panther that people should make specific and attainable goals in order to achieve them. 

“Students, or anyone for that matter, might say that they want to read more," Baker said. "Well, what exactly does that mean? How specific can you get? What behaviors are you going to do to fill that goal? And even further, can you quantify what it means to ‘read more?’”

Gabby Lee, a junior creative producing major, said she had a resolution to decrease screen time, and she does this by reaching for a book rather than her phone when she’s bored. She said this has slowly become a habit, and in turn, the practice has helped her achieve her initial screen time goal. 

“(A resolution) has to become part of your routine,” Lee said. “(You’re) working toward it slowly.”  

Baker seconded this notion and emphasized that a habit is not just going to develop overnight. He recommends starting with small changes which, over time, will help form a habit. 

“It has to be incremental, with smaller changes over a longer period of time," Baker said. "If you have a major habit, particularly one that you're feeling socially apprehensive about that you wish to change or improve, then think about the smaller steps that you can take right now." 

Serenity Anderson, a freshman television production major, said she has both long-term and short-term goals on her vision board. Her short-term plans are there to help her achieve her long-term goals, which make them feel more attainable. 

“In the long-term section, I have run a 5k,'' Anderson said. “The short-term goal to match it is to run three days a week, like a mile. I start with a mile and then I get further and further.”

Unlike Anderson, Jess Wilson, a junior creative producing major, goes out of her way not to commit to any resolutions with the New Year .Instead, she said she prefers to continue making progress on habits she has already tried to incorporate into her life the other 364 days of the year.

For example, she makes an effort to work on her in-progress script two hours a day, so she can rework parts of it and eventually finish. She creates similar goals for ongoing projects throughout the year, rather than choosing to wipe her slate clean Jan. 1. 

“I think that people focus too much on becoming a completely different person right off the bat and don't focus on gradual change of habits,'' Wilson said. 

 When people do make unattainable resolutions and fall through on them, Baker said that an individual’s ability to get back on track with their goals is largely dependent on their level of self-esteem.

“The psychology behind (following through on a resolution after failing to do so) is relevant to self-esteem and an individual's capacity to feel confident and to do it again, despite the fact that they failed,” Baker said. “A person who fails repeatedly but has high self-esteem will learn from their mistakes and grow from it and not be afraid of the negative feedback that they've received.”

Baker added that a good way for people to follow through on resolutions is to create goals that align with what they are passionate about. The concept is called “intrinsic desire,” which Baker defined as someone doing something simply because they enjoy it.

He compared the approach to the more common method of positive reinforcement, where people attempt to follow through on their goals by rewarding themselves for good behavior. 

“Sometimes we think that we would be motivated to do something, including improving our sense of self or whatever goal that you might have, by positively reinforcing it,” Baker said. “(Positive reinforcement) certainly can work to some extent, but by doing so, you're kind of downplaying the initial intrinsic desire to do something.”

Lee is currently reading the New York Times bestselling novel Atomic Habits, which expands on this notion by discussing how people should make identity-based goals rather than outcome-based goals. Lee said she has done this by making goals that intrinsically make her happy, such as leading a more psychologically stimulating life. 

“I have followed through with a lot of (my resolutions), because I know they’re going to make me happier and healthier,” Lee said. “At this point in my life, I’ll do anything to be happier.”