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Ten common failed new year’s resolutions

by Caroline Wellingham | Mar 7, 2026 | Life Coaching

I recently attended a workshop about New Year’s Resolutions and the starting point was to talk about ten of the most common failed new years resolutions.

← Get Serious About Achieving Your Goals The One Thing You Need To Do Every Day →

Ten common failed new year’s resolutions

by Caroline Wellingham | Mar 7, 2026 | Life Coaching

I recently attended a workshop about New Year’s Resolutions and the starting point was to talk about ten of the most common failed new years resolutions.

← Get Serious About Achieving Your Goals

Ten common failed new year’s resolutions

by Caroline Wellingham | Mar 7, 2026 | Life Coaching

I recently attended a workshop about New Year’s Resolutions and the starting point was to talk about ten of the most common failed new years resolutions.

Common failed New Year’s resolutions

1. Working out and losing weight
2. Eating healthier
3. Stop procrastinating
4. Spend less money
5. Let go of grudges
6. Be more productive
7. Get over an ex
8. Fall in love
9. Use technology less
10. Take more chances

What is wrong with these resolutions?

First of all, they are all really vague ideologies, not specific goals. Working out and losing weight is such a common resolution, the questions that follow are how often are you going to work out, what exercise will you do, what strategies will you try if you lose motivation, how much weight do you want to lose and by when. What is missing from these resolutions is a detailed action plan. There is no point vaguely saying “I want to be more productive”, the question is, what are you going to do to become more productive? You could give up TV and you would have plenty more time to be productive, but what would you like to more productive at doing?

What strategy could work better?

I have no problem with resolutions, in fact I am a big plan of goal setting in any shape or form, as long as your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound). The most important aspect of goal setting is taking action. If nothing changes in the actions you take then nothing will change with your situation.

Having an action plan is really important but so is having an accountability partner, someone you tell exactly what you are going to do and someone who will follow up to make sure you are doing what you say you are doing. If you are the only person holding yourself accountable, then you are much less likely to achieve what you want out of life. Get an accountability buddy or better still, hire a life coach to encourage and motivate you!

What should you do next

Caroline Wellingham is an Accredited Career Coach and a certified NLP Practitioner. She loves encouraging, motivating and inspiring clients to achieve their career goals and ambitions. If you want to become passionate about your career and you think you could benefit from a career change coach then book in for a free 45minute consultation.

Book here

If you would like to purchase a guide on Becoming Passionate About Your Career & Personal Development, click here.

If you would like to attend my free Masterclass on the 5 Steps You Need to take to Find Your Dream Career, sign up to attend here >>>. It lasts about 40 minutes and will cover the following:

The 5 powerful steps you need to take in order to find your dream job this year.
Get really clear about your career goals and move away from feeling stuck in a career rut.
The key steps and actions you need to take to move from where you are right now to where you want to be in your future career.
Start to feel super excited and motivated to make a change in your career in 2018 and making it happen!

Common failed New Year’s resolutions

1. Working out and losing weight
2. Eating healthier
3. Stop procrastinating
4. Spend less money
5. Let go of grudges
6. Be more productive
7. Get over an ex
8. Fall in love
9. Use technology less
10. Take more chances

What is wrong with these resolutions?

First of all, they are all really vague ideologies, not specific goals. Working out and losing weight is such a common resolution, the questions that follow are how often are you going to work out, what exercise will you do, what strategies will you try if you lose motivation, how much weight do you want to lose and by when. What is missing from these resolutions is a detailed action plan. There is no point vaguely saying “I want to be more productive”, the question is, what are you going to do to become more productive? You could give up TV and you would have plenty more time to be productive, but what would you like to more productive at doing?

What strategy could work better?

I have no problem with resolutions, in fact I am a big plan of goal setting in any shape or form, as long as your goals are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound). The most important aspect of goal setting is taking action. If nothing changes in the actions you take then nothing will change with your situation.

Having an action plan is really important but so is having an accountability partner, someone you tell exactly what you are going to do and someone who will follow up to make sure you are doing what you say you are doing. If you are the only person holding yourself accountable, then you are much less likely to achieve what you want out of life. Get an accountability buddy or better still, hire a life coach to encourage and motivate you!

What should you do next

Caroline Wellingham is an accredited career and life coach and a certified NLP Practitioner. She loves encouraging, motivating and inspiring clients to achieve their career goals and ambitions. If you want to become passionate about your career and you think you could benefit from a career change coach then book in for a free 45 minute consultation:

Book here

If you would like to purchase a guide on Becoming Passionate About Your Career & Personal Development, click here.

If you would like to attend my free Masterclass on the 5 Steps You Need to take to Find Your Dream Career, sign up to attend here >>>. It lasts about 40 minutes and will cover the following:

The 5 powerful steps you need to take in order to find your dream job this year.
Get really clear about your career goals and move away from feeling stuck in a career rut.
The key steps and actions you need to take to move from where you are right now to where you want to be in your future career.
Start to feel super excited and motivated to make a change in your career in 2018 and making it happen!

Let's talk about your next move

Whether you’re navigating a career change, preparing for interviews, or planning your next chapter, this is a space to share what you’re working toward. Send a message and I’ll be in touch to discuss how we can move forward with clarity and confidence.

Let's talk about your next move

Whether you’re navigating a career change, preparing for interviews, or planning your next chapter, this is a space to share what you’re working toward. Send a message and I’ll be in touch to discuss how we can move forward with clarity and confidence.

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Email: caroline@raisethebarlifecoaching.co.uk

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