How To Make Your New Year Resolutions More Likely To Stick

Sarah Wilson's Travel Tips
Michael Sheather

Journalist

Jan 01, 2022

US psychologist Richard Ryan says if one of your new year resolutions is to be happier then concentrate on making the world a better place and you’ll make yourself happier.

Here, Richard Ryan, an international expert on motivational research and professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Rochester, located just south of Lake Ontario in New York state in the US gives some sage advice on how to make our 2022. New Year’s resolutions stick. Meanwhile, wishing you all a happy and healthy new year from everyone at The Carousel.

Beyond the focus of your goals, there are some key elements to success at any resolution you might make. First, make sure your goal is one you truly embrace–that you are fully behind and care about.

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Photo by Marina Abrosimova on Pexels.com

An achievable goal is also one that is not abstract, like “improve my health” but concrete–such as “increase my daily step count” or “drink sparkling water rather than sugared soda at lunch.”

These latter goals are clear and achievable in a way that a vague global resolution can never be. Once having a clear aim, the next step is making a realistic plan on how and when it will be implemented.

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Photo by Zen Chung on Pexels.com

Just as important, research shows that the more you can make achieving your resolution fun and “intrinsically motivated” the more you’ll persist. For example, a plan to increase your step count might include a walk each day with a good friend–which will both achieve your step goal and satisfy relatedness needs. By finding an activity that both gets you to your goal and that you enjoy–or at least don’t find aversive–you’ll be more likely to carry on.

Finally, successful resolutions are usually built upon optimal challenges. Setting the bar too high will feel discouraging and lead to disengagement. Keep in mind that with almost any long-term goal the best strategy is to set small incremental goals–not “I’m going to climb Everest” but rather “I’m going to take these first few steps toward base camp.”

white printer paper with be kind text on plants
Photo by Lisa Fotios on Pexels.com

Advice for 2023?

The past year has been tough; you can make the new one kinder. Any new goals you set that involve changing habits or lifestyles will inevitably involve some setbacks, lapses, and failures. So, when failures happen, remember to be a compassionate self-coach. Forget the harsh judgments and instead take interest in what you can learn from the setback and where you got stuck. And then restart with that much more wisdom in hand.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

By Michael Sheather

Journalist

Michael Sheather was associate editor and news editor at The Australian Women's Weekly during the past 21 years. He has won multiple awards including five Journalist of the Year awards, two story the year awards. He has an extraordinary list of interviewees including Thredbo survivor Stuart Diver, Prime Ministers John Howard, Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke and Gough Whitlam, actress Nicole Kidman and actor Michael J Fox, among many others.

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