Enjoying Life is America’s New #1 Resolution

With the dropping of the ball and the changing of the date comes the inevitable pressure to make one or several New Year’s resolutions. A little less than half of Americans made resolutions this year and, if previous year’s statistics hold true, only around 8% will have complete success in meeting their goals. Perhaps what they say is true regarding teaching an old dog new tricks, because statistically speaking, the younger the maker of the resolution, the better the chance of achieving success. 39% of those in their twenties have at least moderate success in maintaining their resolutions, compared to only around 14% of those that are over the age of fifty. For those that make resolutions, around 25% have already reverted back to their old ways by the end of the first week in January and more than half don’t make it even half of the year. While maintaining commitment to achieve a New Year’s goal is difficult, research shows that those that make definitive resolutions are ten times more likely to institute successful change than those that don’t buy into the resolution declarations.

In recent years, self help resolutions, such as losing weight or stopping smoking, and educational or personal relationship resolutions have topped the list. However, this year the top resolution for 2016, up from the number four slot in 2015, is enjoying life to the fullest, which some experts are viewing as a reflection of the stressful lifestyles of many Americans. Financial resolutions are also on the rise, up from 31% in 2015 to 37% this year. Of those making resolutions concerning finances, more than 50% are looking to save more in 2016 and 45% of last year’s financial resolution makers are in better fiscal shape than they were at the end of 2014. More than 70% of Americans believe that they will be better off financially in 2016 than they were in 2015. So, while complete success may be an up hill climb, the numbers show that making a New Year’s resolution and achieving even moderate success is a positive step toward instituting change for 2016.