New Year's Resolutions

Warning:  This post has nothing to do with my kids.  :-)

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions.  I simply do not see the point of them and I think, although I have no evidence to back it up, that New Year's resolutions are more harmful than helpful.  A 2011 survey of 15,000 people found that only 23% of New Year's resolutions are kept.  In other words, 77% of people who make a New Year's resolution fail.  That's a huge failure rate!  This same survey shows that 35% of people have broken their New Year's resolution by the end of January!!!

I'm all for setting goals/resolutions, but setting them at the start of the year simply because it's the start of a new year seems kind of silly.  A goal/resolution can be set at anytime.  In fact, it should be set at the time you are ready to act on that goal.  For example, in May 2011 I decided I needed to make a commitment to working out more.  I was ready at that time to act on that goal.  It's now 18 months later and I've kept that goal by working out 5 to 6 times a week.

My point in all of this is that you should set goals/resolutions when you're ready to act on them.  If that matches up with January 1, then great, more power to you.  But don't make a goal/resolution on January 1 simply because it's the beginning of a new year.  If you're not ready to work toward meeting that goal on January 1, then I guarantee that you will be one of those 35% who break their resolution by the end of January or one of the 77% who break their resolution by the end of the year.