With the end of 2022, many of us have made new year’s resolutions to change something in our lives for the coming year; however, according to a survey of UK and Australian citizens in 2022, over 91% of people fail to follow through with their new year’s resolution, with over 23% quitting in the first week. While there can be many reasons why we are unable to follow through with our new year’s resolution, such as having set an unrealistic goal, not enough time due to other commitments etc., but our failure to follow through can often be attributed to our motivation.

Having motivation to finish what you set out to do to its completion can be difficult, especially if it is something that isn’t immediately achievable. If it’s a long process we often lose sight of the root of the motivation, the core that initially drove us to set a target for ourselves, our motivating factor. While motivation and motivator may sound like the same thing, they are in fact different.

Motivation is a by-product of our motivator, what it is we wish to achieve; however, if our motive is ambiguous or poorly defined, we will lack the necessary motivation to fulfill it. A clearly defined and thought-out motive will act as a core motivator for achieving what we are aiming for, maintaining our motivation until completion.

As an example, maybe you have decided to lose some weight, but you have not clearly defined an amount, and have not asked at your core why you wish to do so. While there can be numerous reasons for losing weight, such as improved physical and mental health, we must take the time to decide what our core motivator is, why we will go to any length to achieve our goal and why we truly wish to enact this change. If a motivator is strong, it can help us to weather slip ups and relapses, to push through our self-doubt, uncertainty and fear. If a motivator is vague or not true to yourself, then your motivation will wane as you don’t truly desire the change.

To find out your core motivator and to increase the strength of your resolution, try asking yourself the following questions;

Did you make the decision to change by yourself, without the input of family, friends, or medical professionals?

If you were pressured into changing yourself solely because of what others think then you will lack the motivation and willpower to persist to reach your goal. To enact true change then you have to want it for yourself.

Did you make a vague or specific resolution?

If your resolution lacks specificity, how will you measure your progress, or even be able to determine when you are done. If you have decided to ‘exercise more’ but have not clearly defined any parameters, then even the concept of what you deem to be exercise may change to give a false sense of achievement (i.e., Its exercise when I take my dog for a walk). While in terms of definition this may be true, but it probably deviates away from the reason you wanted to exercise in the first place. A better resolution would be, ‘I will start exercising every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday after work for an hour at the gym’. By increasing the details set in our resolution, we have set ourselves boundaries and can clearly tell whether we have been faithful to the initial resolution, or whether we have deviated.

Did you tell anyone about your resolution?

Not all resolutions have to be shared with others, but by sharing them with someone you look up to or admire, a study in Ohio State University conducted in 2019 has shown an increase in motivation and perseverance for following through with your resolution to its completion.

Tips for increasing and sustaining your Motivation:

–          Regularly review your goals and progress, highlighting the progress you have made so far and improve self-esteem

–          Finding people to look up to who is experienced in the aspects you are looking to change in yourself

–          Segment your resolution into stages, increasing levels of fulfilment after completing each stage on your way to reaching your final goal

–          Keeping to a set routine helps to create automatic patterns, helping maintain motivation

Learning how to maintain and sustain our motivation by understanding our core motivator will indeed help with your 2023 new year’s resolutions, but will also help with numerous other goals you have throughout your life. Studies have shown that finding ways to increase self-motivation is critical, as it allows us to grow our interests, learn new behaviors, develop talents and competencies, and boost our engagement.

By strengthening your resolution and understanding the motivator that drives you, you are more likely to follow through with what you are looking to change in 2023.

References:

Klein, H. J., Lount, R. B., Jr., Park, H. M., & Linford, B. J. (2020). When goals are known: The effects of audience relative status on goal commitment and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 105(4), 372–389. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000441

Kryshko, O., Fleischer, J., Grunschel, C., & Leutner, D. (2022). University students’ self-efficacy for motivational regulation, use of motivational regulation strategies, and satisfaction with academic studies: Exploring between-person and within-person associations. Journal of Educational Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000785

Norcross, J.C., et al. (2002). Auld lang syne: success predictors, change processes, and self-reported outcomes of New Year’s resolutions. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 58 (4), 397-405.

Selig, M. (2009). Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success. New York: Routledge.

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