Have You Given Up on Your New Year’s Resolutions Yet?

Are you one of the 80%? Or are you one of the 20%?

I suppose you’d like to know what I’m referring to before answering that question. Well, if you insist…

According to Forbes magazine, 80% of people who make New Year’s resolutions admit to abandoning them by February. The other 20% say they are still sticking with their resolutions by the second month of the year.

One statistic missing from this survey is what percentage of people have stopped making New Year’s resolutions. Probably because they anticipate giving up on them before long.

Be SMART with your goals

Before we get into the most popular New Year’s resolutions, here’s a look at Forbes’ suggestions for sticking with your resolutions.

1) Set S.M.A.R.T. goals. That means making your resolutions Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

2) Determine your why. Why is each goal worth working toward?

3) Find an accountability partner.

4) Get end-of-year checkups. With doctors, dentists and physical therapists.

One study showed that people were 42% more likely to accomplish a goal if they put it in writing.

The success rate jumped to 76% when participants also developed a plan to accomplish those goals. And told a friend about them. And kept that friend in the loop regarding their progress.

More suggestions for success

Because there is no law as to exactly when we have to set our yearly goals, here are a few related suggestions from the magazine.

• Reflect on various areas of your life to determine where you are and where you want to go. Your goals will probably be personal and relate to your ambitions in life. So, first reflect on the personal (relationships and health). Second, the professional (money, career goals). Third, emotional (mental health). And fourth, spiritual (self-actualization, self-care). Limit your goals to a manageable number.

• Once you’ve determined the areas in your life in which you want to see change, set your SMART goals. A vague goal, such as “exercise more,” is basically worthless. Be specific, quantify the goal, and make it realistic and timebound. Such as, “Exercise 30 minutes per day, four days a week, for the first month.” And revisit the “why.” The better you understand why you established a goal, the more likely you are to work hard at achieving it.

• Write down your goals and place them somewhere visible to you. A place where you can see them in the room where you spend most of your time each day. If you write your goals in a notebook, they’ll probably get buried and forgotten over time. Keeping them out in the open will keep them top of mind.

• Be accountable. If you keep your goals to yourself, you’re more likely to let them slip out of reach over time. And don’t just share your goals with a friend. Also share your plan to achieve those goals. And share your progress toward meeting them. Ideally, establish an accountability relationship with a trusted friend who also wants to be held accountable for their goals. But don’t tell everyone your goals. Save that for after you’ve accomplished your goals and you want to celebrate. 

• Be flexible. Yes, you want to do whatever you can to meet your goals. But if a life change makes a goal unrealistic, dump it. Then substitute something more attainable. Some of your other goals may just need minor tweaking rather than an overhaul.        

Most popular resolutions

Now, let’s look at some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. I’m sure you can guess what a number of them will be. 

Number one was living healthier, with 23% of respondents citing it. Getting happier was listed by 21%. Losing weight, 20%. Exercising more, 7%. Quitting smoking, 5%. Reducing alcohol consumption, 2%.

Other popular resolutions include meeting career or job goals (16%) and improving personal relationships (11%).

Talk about vague, right? No wonder four out of five people give up on their resolutions by this time of year. 

Blend your goals with our product

I’m going to assume for a moment that you established some New Year’s resolutions for 2022. Even if you didn’t write them down. Or tell a friend. Or keep anyone in the loop regarding your progress. 

Improving your health is probably one of your goals. There are many ways to do this. Eating more fruits and vegetables is an obvious one. But this is sometimes easier said than done. And we’re not always in the mood for a single fruit or vegetable. 

That’s where the Patriot Power Blender comes in handy. You can make delicious smoothies, shakes and more using a variety of fruits and vegetables. For breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or anytime in between.

This portable, rechargeable blender with its push-button operation and stainless steel blades lets you blend the perfect drink in just seconds. At only one pound and 10 inches tall, it makes for an ideal to-go cup.

You can even recharge it with your laptop, your car, an outlet or a portable cellphone charger. But you won’t need to do that often because you can make dozens of drinks on a single charge. And unlike other blenders, it’s a snap to clean.