Words of Wisdom for Failed Resolutions

How many days this year have you consistently gone to the gym? Utilized your day planner? Been intentional about developing the relationships around you? It’s alright, most of us have broken our resolutions - it’s practically an American tradition. A study from the University of Scranton, found that only 46% of people who set resolutions make it beyond 6 months of keeping with their goals.

While studies show that almost half of the population makes New Year’s resolutions each year, roughly 8% actually achieve their goals. But this doesn’t have to be the end of the road for you. There are many different ways to persevere and reach goals long after you’ve failed at sticking with your resolutions. Here are a few words of inspiration to guide you through disappointment.

You Just Dropped the Ball on a Resolution, Now What?:

  • “The past is a place of reference, not a place of residence” - Unknown

  • “Hakuna Matata” - Timon & Pumbaa

  • “When it rains look for rainbows, when it’s dark look for stars” - Unknown

  • “Mistakes are a fact of life. It is the response to the error that counts.” - Nikki Giovanni

You Thought Trying Something New Would Be Easy:

  • “A person who never made a mistake, never tried anything new.” - Albert Einstein

  • “Remain firm about your goals, but flexible about your methods” - William Donahue

  • “Perhaps all the dragons in our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us act, just once, with beauty and courage. Perhaps everything that frightens us is, in its deepest essence, something helpless that wants our love.” - Rainer Maria Rilke

  • “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable!” - Jillian Michaels

You Thought That Staying Quiet or Self-loathing Over Your Failures Would Make You Stronger:

  • “Your silence will not protect you” -Audre Lorde

  • “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.” - Helen Keller

  • “Once people said: give me liberty or give me death. Now they say: make me a slave, just pay me enough.” - Todd Garlington

  • “Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see it.” - Confucius

But You Realize It’s Only January and You Have All Year To Figure It Out This New Adventure:

  • “A new challenge keeps the brain kicking and the heart ticking.” E.A. Bucchianeri

  • “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” - Colin Powell

  • “Create something today, even if it sucks” - Unknown

  • “We have to continually be jumping off cliffs and developing our wings on the way down.” - Kurt Vonnegut

And Finally, You Remove the Doubt and You’re Ready to Succeed:

  • “The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” - Sylvia Path

  • “Others have seen what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.” - Pablo Picasso

  • “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

  • “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” - Ayn Rand

Let’s face it, you’ve broken your resolution list dozens of times. Something has to change and 2016 is the year for that. Your resolutions are not meant to simply check off a list, but to discover, even through failure, how you may grow in courage and character. You don’t need 365 days (or 366!) to stick with a new habit, hobby, business venture or goal, but you can take every day that leads you closer to 2017 to improve and stay inspired.