A BRAND new year is here again and one common thing Nigerians have done is to make resolutions, which they intend to keep in the New Year. At the end of the year, some might evaluate the resolutions they kept and the ones they threw out of the window during the course of the year. A poll was conducted and here are the top 10 resolutions most people made at the start of this year:

Quit smoking/drinking/night crawling
Lose weight
Take a vacation
Quit present job for a new one or pursue passion
Save more spend less
Cutting off toxic people/ relationships
Getting out of a bad relationship
Spend less time on social media
Change wardrobe
Be a better person/more religious

Most respondents opined that they made these same resolutions last year but couldn’t keep to most of them. The word “resolution” comes from the root word “resolve” which means “to be resolute, to settle conclusively, to reach a decision/conclusion or cause to go into a solution”.

Here is the main reason why your resolution did not work and might not work again this year: we usually resolve on things we cannot settle conclusively, things we aren’t sure we have arrived at a decision on and things we don’t really know how to solve or how long it would take us to solve. For instance, let’s take the case of someone who has been addicted to alcohol for 10 years.

On December 29, 2015, it hits him that he has to stop drinking excessively, and so he writes this down as one of his new year resolutions: to “Stop Drinking In the Year 2016″. Let’s pause a minute and consider how he is going to stop using this habit. He did not write down the steps to getting out of this hole. He did not add up a contingency plan on how he’ll get back on the horse if he falls down. This is why his resolution would probably not work because he only made a wish and resolving is way different from simply wishing.

Here are several reasons why this man’s and your own New Year resolution might not work. You can check the list through your own 2016 resolutions to make the necessary adjustments.

1. Intangible resolutions: The above resolution is hard to pin down or understand. The first question anyone would ask is, “How do I plan on making this happen”? Most of us make wishes and have no idea how they would come to light. The best way to avoid becoming frustrated in achieving your resolution is to make them not just rational but achievable, specific and measurable. The best way to do that is to have a plan for daily actions or at least weekly actions towards your year goal.

2. Hidden resolutions: If you are indeed resolute about something, your family and friends should have at least an inkling of what you are resolute about. No matter what it is about, losing weight, controlling finances and so on, once those closest to you are not in the know, you are halfway to breaking your resolution already. If you are truly determined to make those changes happen, don’t hesitate to share them with family and friends that would encourage and help you back on your feet when it seems you might not fulfill them.

3. Complicated resolutions: I believe strongly that whatever is true is usually simple. It might not be 100% of the time but most times, if you find yourself in complications, the truth is not in it with you. I feel if your resolutions are complicated to you, then you most probably are lying to yourself and complications are usually on the sure road to failure. Keep your resolution list short. Keep it simple. Keep it attainable.
Remember it is not about how fast you can change, it is about recognising a lifestyle of change and working at it.
Lets all make our 2016 resolutions work this time around!