Three Tools to Keep In Mind

According to a recent large-scale study on New Year’s resolutions, every third adult will set New Year’s Resolutions that most will never achieve. Researchers from Stockholm, Sweden, asked over 1,000 people about their New Year’s resolutions and found that most were focused on improving physical health, weight, and eating habits (Oscarsson, 2020).

Setting these goals can be difficult and emotional since they activate your drive and threat detection systems. While they result in you being excited and motivated, unfortunately, this elevated state is not sustainable. The further you get from the new year, the more likely you are to quit. Every fourth person will quit their goal within the first week of January, with one or two more dropping out by the end of the month. That leaves only 36% still adhering to their goals on February 1st, which will go down to a 9% success rate over the year. Is there even a point to set 2023 goals?

Yes, there is a point (a Choice Point!). Here are some research-based tools to increase your likelihood of success:

1. Focus on a positive outcome, i.e., “I will walk more,” rather than focusing on avoiding negative outcomes, i.e., “I need to be less sedentary.” Two sides of the same coin, but approaching the former will improve the likelihood of your success (Norcross, 1988).

2. The right questions can unlock your potential. Imagery Coaches ask questions that amplify you.  Questions like, “If you could program yourself, what would You 2.0 look like?” We challenge you to discuss what changes you would make if presented with this opportunity. We then ask, ‘What can you do today or tomorrow to get you that one-step closer?’ This gets our clients clear and committed to all the actions required to achieve that goal over the next months.

3. Imagery, imagery, imagery. Make it multisensory, and you can override the brain’s natural tendency to resist change. Functional Imagery Training (FIT) research shows that training individuals to use multisensory imagery daily makes them more successful in achieving their long-term goals and improves their day-to-day commitment to working towards those goals. This evidence became very apparent in the ultra-marathon runners (Rhodes, 2021) as they were five times more likely to complete the race and committed to their training in any weather: sun, rain, or snow. This commitment and resilience are the difference between quitting the resolutions or making it past the first week of January.

Being proactive, asking questions that amplify you, and using multisensory imagery will increase your odds of success whether you decide to set out to achieve a New Year’s resolution or want to make headway on a goal you have in mind.  

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