NEW YEAR — BETTER YOU: Why Most Resolutions Fail and How to Make This One Count

Blessing Amatemeso
Jan 9
3 min read

The goal of healthcare is the attainment of health, and prevention is always preferred to treatment and cure. While prevention can be strengthened through collective effort and accessible facilities, it ultimately depends on personal responsibility.

Hand-washing stations can be placed on every corner, but you still have to walk to them and wash your hands regularly.

The New Year is a liminal time - a transition point when people are especially open to change.

Every new year arrives with hope, optimism, and a renewed desire to do better especially when it comes to health. This is not surprising. Unsurprisingly, studies show that 88% of people include improved health among their New Year goals. Yet, research also shows that about 80% of people quit the gym by February.

That means motivation fades fast.

The problem is rarely the goal. It’s the method.

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Why Most New Year resolutions Fail

Most goals are not unrealistic. The problem lies in how people try to achieve them.

Rapid change, like pumping air too quickly into a balloon, leads to explosion and system failure.

Going to the gym every day is admirable, but for someone who hasn’t exercised in months, it may be unsustainable. Eating only homemade organic meals sounds great, but for someone who has relied on takeout for years, it can be overwhelming.

The first reason goals fail is that people try to change everything at once. Growth is not metamorphosis; it is incremental improvement. Small changes that compound.

Add ten extra minutes of exercise each week, and by the end of the year, 150 minutes per week becomes your baseline.

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Think Quarterly, Not Annually

Many successful organizations don’t operate on annual systems alone, they plan in quarters. And for good reason

A year is a long time. You might change jobs, relocate, become pregnant, or even achieve the goal halfway through the year.

Why choose Quarterly goals?

Create urgency : If your goal ends in December, you might delay starting it till October, which defeats the purpose of goal setting which should be to become a better person.
Encourage earlier action
Provide shorter tracking windows
Allow room for grace and course correction
Are simply SMARTer (SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ACHIEVABLE, RELEVANT AND TIME-BOUND)

Each new quarter becomes an opportunity to reset, refine, and improve.

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The Bandwagon Trap

Another reason goals fail is the bandwagon effect. People copy what others are doing without considering their own strengths, weaknesses, or realities.

What works for someone else may not work for you.

A better approach is to run tiny experiments. Try a routine for two weeks or a month. If it doesn’t fit, adjust. Keep testing until you find what works for you.

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Accountability Beats Willpower Every Time

Can you remember your goals from 2016? Beyond academics or career, do you remember what you wanted for your health, relationships, or character?

Most people can’t because they never wrote them down.

Willpower is not enough. You need systems:

If your goal is to exercise more, pay for the gym membership, lay out your clothes, keep your shoes visible, and find an accountability partner. If your goal is to eat healthier, start with grocery shopping and remove food delivery apps. Make undesired habits harder and desired habits easier.

If your goal is healthier eating, start with grocery shopping. Delete food delivery apps. Make the undesired habit harder. New goals fail when environment and routine remain unchanged.

Track your progress. Keep visible evidence. Motivation follows momentum.

Life is in the details. So don’t just set goals, Journal your experiences. Memory is unreliable, but reflection fuels growth.

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Avoid All-or-Nothing Thinking

Life is imperfect. Change is gradual. Missing a week is not failure — quitting is.

Every day is another chance to start again. Sustainable change allows room for imperfection

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Applying These Principles to Business Growth

These principles apply to business as much as personal life.

If your goal is to grow from a clinic into a diagnostic or surgical centre, the total cost may feel overwhelming. Instead of seeing millions at once, break the goal into parts.

Start with small purchases then move up: