It’s a new day, new semester and new year. So, of course, everyone has gone through the process of setting resolutions for the new year and an idea of how they will improve.

Many people don’t stick with those resolutions. Why? Some of the goals these resolutions aim to reach are generally not realistic or are resolutions that require long-term commitment.

Promising yourself that you are going to shed those pounds or study harder is much easier than actually putting in the effort to make those goals happen. It takes between two to eight months to create a habit, and most people start their resolutions at a pace they cannot continuously keep up at.

If you start off at full speed, chances are that you cannot keep it up. You can either hurt yourself or the novelty of the resolution wears off and you no longer find it appealing to do.

Willpower also plays a big factor in a person’s success. If you cannot keep it up simply because you do not want to, chances are that you will not. Gradually letting yourself ease into the goal one step at a time will assists with the goal becoming realized.

Long term goals benefit from this type of approach, simply because it takes time and eventually forms a habit. If it becomes a habit, you will be more than likely keep the goal and even participate in it on autopilot. Sometimes being healthy, studying more and losing weight become unnecessarily costly.

Some diet plans do not work with a person’s lifestyle or health. People learn and study in different ways and losing weight is an entire life change within itself. Finding what works for you takes a lot of trial and error.

Resolutions can be helpful to put a person on the right track to becoming a healthier, happier version of themselves. However, it is up to them to decide how they are going to get there.