Why your New Year’s resolutions won’t survive February (and how to finally stick to them)
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At the start of every year, we make lots of resolutions… only for them to disappear a few weeks later. Is it a lack of willpower? Not really. In this article, transition coach Laurence Shukor explains why most resolutions fail and shares some practical tips for turning intentions into lasting change.
January: the month of promises… and quiet renunciations
At the start of every year, the scenario is the same.
We promise to exercise more, eat better, get more organised, slow down, and change certain habits. We’re full of energy and optimism.
Then February arrives.
Resolutions begin to fade away, quietly, without fanfare. Sneakers gather dust, good intentions get lost in the daily grind.
It’s not a lack of willpower.
It’s a misunderstanding about the nature of change.
The myth of motivation
We like to believe that motivation is the key to everything. However, it is unstable and sensitive to stress, fatigue, and unforeseen events. It fluctuates, sometimes significantly, without warning.
As Peter Drucker, a leading figure in modern management, pointed out:
“Plans are only good intentions if they are not immediately translated into concrete actions.”
A resolution fails not because of a lack of desire, but because it too often remains at the stage of intention. Without practical implementation, it fades away in the face of everyday constraints.
How can we turn the discomfort of change into inner strength?
Too much, too fast, too perfect
Another classic trap is wanting to change everything at once.
A new lifestyle, new goals, a new rhythm, immediately and permanently.
This perfectionism is often fuelled by familiar internal demands: be perfect, make an effort, hurry up. The result: excessive pressure, followed by rapid abandonment at the first sign of deviation
Change does not collapse due to a lack of discipline, but due to excessive demands.
Resolutions that are unrealistic
Many resolutions are made without taking reality into account: mental load, professional constraints, energy fluctuations, unforeseen events.
A goal that does not fit in with life as it is lived is unlikely to last.
Lasting change is neither spectacular nor radical.
It is gradual, pragmatic, and embodied.
Coach’s tips to help certain resolutions (really) stick
- Reduce the goal to the essentials
Small and consistent is better than big and fleeting.
- Clarify the meaning
A resolution driven by a clear “why” is more resistant to the erosion of time.
- Embrace imperfection
A deviation does not cancel out the process. It is part of it.
- Turn intention into concrete habit
When, where, how—without these benchmarks, the resolution remains theoretical.
- Choose a single priority
Clarity promotes consistency. Dispersion sabotages it.
What if the real luxury was knowing how to say no? The art of setting boundaries
Change a little, but change for the better.
Good resolutions rarely fail because of a lack of desire.
They fail because they are thought of as feats rather than adjustments.
Change is not about forcing yourself.
It’s about settling in.
What if, this year, the best resolution was simply to do a little less… but well enough to last?
Laurence Shukor is a certified coach specialising in personal and professional transition issues.