For many people, a new year symbolises a fresh start, an opportunity to achieve more than you did last year. A new beginning promises more possibilities for growth and success. So if many people are determined to achieve their new goals, why are only 12% successful? Here’s why you are failing to keep up with your resolutions, and what you can do to change your habits for good.

First of all, patience is key. Most people give into the temptation of wanting to ‘remodel’ their life overnight, which evidently leads to quickly reverting back to old habits. The key is slowly changing your habits to suit your lifestyle, rather than deciding to ‘cleanse’ yourself of your previous routine. An example of this would be the typical, overused resolution to lose weight. The problem with this is that many people would be tempted to go on fad diets or juice cleanses to ‘fix their problem’. However, this not only becomes harmful for your health, but may also result in rushing back to your previous unhealthy lifestyle before January ends.

Another problem is when people have the same resolutions every year, with no discipline or determination to achieve their goals. You have to be willing to change your routine and stick to it. Something to help would be to understand why you want to accomplish these resolutions, and this will increase your motivation and inspire you when you are feeling unable to complete your goals.