I may come across as negative, but I’m just being realistic. Statistics show that of the amount of individuals who make resolutions for the beginning of each New Year, approximately 25 per cent have ditched them within the very first week. One quarter of the people who make resolutions cannot maintain enough willpower to stay true for seven days. By the time February rolls around, over 35 per cent have given up and halfway through the year, over 50 per cent have called it quits. By making resolutions, you’re more than likely to disappoint yourself.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to knock resolutions. That would be hypocritical of me considering I made three resolutions this year, such as maintaining a healthy diet, exercising more often and cutting out my bad habit of procrastinating. So far I haven’t kept to a single one of these resolutions. I’ve been living off takeout food and stray boxes of chocolate left over from the holidays, I haven’t seen the inside of a gym in six months and have put off vacuuming my apartment for nearly a week.  I almost feel as if it’s too late now to recuperate. The wavering motivation I possessed has certainly diminished, especially since the holidays are done and it’s back to the grind of school and work.

I wondered if I should wait and hope for better luck next year, but why wait until a certain date to begin to work towards achieving aspirations? Why only do so once a year? I think it’s admirable to take a step back and evaluate your life and take the time to strategize what could use improvement. So I’ve decided to let go of the resolutions and set goals instead. 

Setting goals is a particular process to define what you really want to achieve and figuring out a route to get there. The drawback to resolutions is that you define the ultimate goal without determining if it’s realistic or achievable. Then, when you hit a wall, you tend to feel as if you have failed, which leads to quitting.

The difference between resolutions and goals lies in the elements. Goals must be specific, measurable and realistic. So I suggest to only set goals that you know you are capable of obtaining. I’ll also add, be realistic in terms of how many goals you’re setting out to achieve at once. We’re not all saints and trying to accomplish too much at once can be overwhelming. If you try for too much too quickly, you may wind up like me – lost beneath a pile of fast food wrappers and gym clothes tucked in the back of your closet. We both know you can do better than that.

I’ve decided to break my resolutions in order to achieve what I want. They say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so I’m going to pick one goal at a time and work at it for a month before I try to add another to my plate. Eating healthy seems like the best and easiest goal to start with, so once I’ve got that down, I’ll hit the Humber gym. Finally, I’ll address my procrastination tactics to learn to better manage my time… you know, when I get around to it.