Why 92% of New Year’s Resolutions Fail (Hidden Truth)
WHY 92% OF NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FAIL (AND HOW TO BE IN THE 8%)
Listen, goal achievement is my jam. This is why I have been so successful at helping over 250,000 women transform their bodies, and their lives. Including mine!
Last week I was looking at an old vision board from five years ago, and it hit me – every single thing on that board has become my reality. Not because of luck, but because of the exact principles I’m sharing with you today.
Before we dive in, let me ask you something: How many times have you started a new year with big dreams, only to find yourself stuck in the same patterns by February? Well, that stops today.
Ready to make 2025 the year everything changes? I’m sharing my proven 10-step process that will completely transform how you approach your 2025 goals and finally break free from the resolution cycle to create lasting transformation. Discover exactly how to turn your “someday” into “starting now.”
💖🤩 BONUS: Want to go deeper? Join me for my FREE LIVE workshop: “Lasting Fat Loss for Midlife Women” at www.Nataliejillclass.com where I’ll reveal the complete system for transforming your midlife body.
Based on psychological research and behavioral science, there are several key reasons why people often struggle with resolutions:
- Poor goal structure – Many people set vague, overwhelming goals like “get healthy” or “be skinny” instead of specific, measurable objectives like “walk 30 minutes three times per week.” Without clear metrics and milestones, it’s hard to track progress and maintain motivation.
- Relying on willpower alone – It’s common that we are always going to revert back to “what is comfortable” (hello messy bun and sweatpants) instead of FEELING the discomfort of our jeans being tight. Willpower is subjective and is a limited, subjective resource that gets depleted. Successful habit formation requires creating goal-supportive environments and systems rather than just trying to force ourselves through sheer determination.
- Not addressing underlying problems and patterns – People often focus on surface-level behaviors without examining the root causes and triggers. Someone trying to spend less money might need to first understand their emotional spending triggers, rather than just setting a budget. Setting a budget won’t make a big difference if we don’t address the trigger.
- Expecting perfection – Many give up after small setbacks because they view them as complete failures rather than normal parts of behavior change. This “all or nothing” mindset makes it harder to get back on track after minor slips. Reaching goals will NOT be perfect out of the gate.
- Insufficient planning – Change requires planning for obstacles and having specific strategies ready. Just deciding to “exercise more” without planning when, where, and how makes it unlikely to happen.
- Going too big too fast – Trying to make multiple major life changes simultaneously often leads to overwhelm. Starting with smaller, manageable changes and gradually building up tends to be more successful.
- Lack of social support – We’re heavily influenced by our social environments. Not having support from friends and family, or being surrounded by people with conflicting habits, makes change much harder.
The GOOD news is that understanding these common pitfalls can help us design better approaches to personal change. So what can you do to ACTUALLY reach your goal and not be included in the 92% of New Year’s resolutions that fail?! Let’s rewrite goal accomplishment for you in ten steps!
1 – DECIDE. The Power of Daily Decisions
Make a decision. It’s THE FIRST STEP to change. It’s a black and white – THIS is what IS happening. You will make MANY decisions in your daily behaviors to move you toward the goal you DECIDED was happening.
Let me tell you about Sarah, one of my clients. She’d been trying to lose the same 30 pounds for five years. One day, she was at her daughter’s soccer game, unable to run and play with her because of her weight. At that moment, she DECIDED. Not next Monday. Not January 1st. Right there, she made a DECISION that changed everything.
Your life changes the moment you stop waiting and start DECIDING. Every minute of every day presents a new opportunity to choose differently:
– That morning snooze button? Decision time.
– That afternoon sugar craving? Decision time.
– That evening workout you’re thinking of skipping? Decision time.
2 – Create Your Vision
Vision is the END result that you are declaring and deciding you are going to hit and bring to fruition. You need to get VERY clear on the destination – the place you want to arrive at. Last year, I worked with Maria, a 52-year-old executive who felt invisible in her own life. When I asked about her vision, she broke down because she realized she’d spent so long focusing on everyone else’s dreams that she’d lost sight of her own. She had no vision for where SHE wanted to go.
Your vision needs to be:
– Crystal clear (I mean, see it, feel it, taste it, smell it)
– Written down and visible daily
– Emotionally connected to your core desires
– Something that excites you AND scares you a little
3 – The Identity Shift
This is where the magic happens. After you’ve made your decision and created your vision, you need to step into becoming that person RIGHT NOW. When my client Rebecca started saying “I am someone who prioritizes her health” instead of “I need to get healthy,” everything changed. She started making decisions from the perspective of who she was becoming, as if she ALREADY WAS HER, instead of who she had been.
Think about it:
– Instead of “I’m trying to be more active” → “I am an active woman”.
What would an active woman do every day? Do it.
– Instead of “I’m working on eating better” → “I am someone who nourishes my body”
How does someone who nourishes their body eat? Do it.
– Instead of “I want to be confident” → “I am growing in confidence daily”
How does the confident version of you show up? What is she doing? What is she wearing? Do it.
4 – Drop the Comparison and Judgment
Listen up, because this one hits close to home. Last month, I was working with Patricia, a successful 49-year-old who spent hours scrolling through Instagram, comparing herself to everyone else’s “perfect” transformation journeys. She kept telling herself she was “too old,” “too out of shape,” or “too far gone” to start.
Here’s what I told her: Every minute you spend judging yourself or comparing your journey to someone else’s highlight reel is a minute you could spend actually moving toward your own goals.
Instead of judging, LEAN IN and learn what they are doing that YOU can also be doing!
Think about this:
– That negative self-talk? It’s literally creating stress hormones in your body
– Those harsh judgments? They’re pushing away the very things you want
– That comparison trap? It’s stealing your joy AND your motivation
I want you to try something different: Every time you catch yourself in judgment mode, pause and ask:
– “What if I’m exactly where I need to be to start?”
– “What if my journey is uniquely perfect for me?”
– “What if my age and experience are actually my superpower?”
5 – The Missing “Why” Factor
This is one of the very special things I go really deep with in my fat loss and goal achievement programs and I call it your Driving Core Motivator. Your “why” needs to hit you in the heart. MANY people miss this. It’s NOT just “you want to lose weight”. It’s WHY do you want to lose the weight? What is the REAL reason behind the reason? Are you lonely? Are you immobile? Do you feel unworthy? Do you feel isolated? Do you want to live a long time for your grandkids? Do you want to live to see your kids get married?
6 – Become Your Own Health Detective
You can’t do this by doing just what you know. You have to become your OWN health detective. It’s never just about the diet or the workout – it’s about what YOU need to do for YOUR health. There is usually SOMETHING underlying that is affecting the way you feel. Yes, the diet and the workout will help you, but in midlife, there’s usually a bit more.
Let me tell you about Rachel, who’d been to five different doctors before she came to me. Everyone kept treating individual symptoms, but nobody was looking at the whole picture. When we started investigating, we discovered that her fatigue, weight gain, and mood issues were all connected.
You need to become a detective in:
– Hormone Balance: Are your thyroid, cortisol, and sex hormones working together?
– Gut Health: How’s your microbiome? Are you actually absorbing nutrients?
– Food Sensitivities: What foods make you feel energized vs. inflamed?
– Sleep Patterns: Are you getting restorative sleep?
– Stress Response: How is stress showing up in your body?
– Environmental Factors: What toxins are you exposed to daily?
Remember: Everything is connected. That afternoon energy crash might not just be about sleep – it could be your gut health affecting your hormones affecting your energy!
7 – The Power of Systems Over Goals
A goal without a system is just a wish. Once you are clear on your goal, your vision, your DCM, etc., then it’s time to break your big goal into a lot of little steps. Think about it like this: You don’t brush your teeth every day because you have a goal to brush your teeth. You do it because you have a system – it’s part of your morning routine. Make things easy for yourself and create success SYSTEMS in your daily routines and actions that will get you to your goal!
8 – The Accountability Factor
Remember what happened when you tried to do everything alone? Yeah, me too. That’s why I created the Thrive in Midlife community. We need people who get it, who understand the unique challenges of transformation in midlife. We are wired to celebrate and we need acknowledgement for moving in the right direction. Having accountability also keeps you committed to your decision and OUT of circumstances.
9 – The Progress Tracking Mistake
We often dismiss the little wins because we have not yet achieved the BIG win yet. It’s NOT always about the final goal – it’s ALSO A LOT about the little wins along the way. Focus on the gratitude in your wins…not the big gap between where you are and where you want to end. Let me tell you about Michelle, who was ready to quit because the scale wasn’t moving. But when we looked at her progress photos, measurements, and energy levels, she realized she’d completely transformed her body – the scale just wasn’t telling the whole story.
10 – Consistency of being COMMITTED
The MOST important thing – COMMITMENT. When you fall off, it’s not “it’s over” and “it’s done”. It’s let go back, get refocused, and jump back on the train.
I have a really special invitation for you. I am hosting my Lasting Fat Loss for Women in Midlife workshops in January. We go WAY deeper on my proven fat loss goal achievement method called Total Body Thrive, and the class is FREE to attend. It’s a way for you to learn, try on my Thrive coaching method, and learn how to get SUPER CLEAR on how to make your 2025 goals come to life!
Remember, your age is just a number, but your DECISIONS shape your destiny.
