When the clock strikes midnight on Dec. 31, so many of us have set goals for ourselves for the New Year. Anecdotally, however, the vast majority of resolutions fail.
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In this article, we’ll explore why we sometimes fall short on those resolutions and offer expert-provided tips and suggestions for keeping – and succeeding at – your most ambitious goals.
Capitalizing on New Beginnings
It’s always appealing: New year, new you, with the same hope returning that this time will be different.
“Everyone can benefit from the idea of a new beginning. This has been true since time immemorial,” says Kathryn Smerling, a New York City-based family therapist.
New beginnings are a prime time to reevaluate, reassess and reflect, she adds, making fresh resolutions or goals a natural tendency. This compulsion to capitalize on new beginnings isn’t necessarily relegated to Jan. 1, either.
“The same might be true for birthdays or other transitions,” says Sophie Lazarus, a clinical associate professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral health at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus. “New Year’s resolutions may end up falling into the same category as some other resolutions, such as ‘I will start my diet on Monday’ or ‘I will get back to exercise in the spring.’”
So, even with the best intentions, where do we go wrong?
When Resolutions Don’t Work
We transition from bright and shiny resolutions to disappointment for a number…
