Why Nigerians renege on New Year resolutions

Naturally, at the end of every year and beginning of another, many people make promises on things they intend never to do again or resolve to face a new path of life.

This is called, New Year resolution. Most times, these resolutions do not endure beyond two weeks into the New Year.

Often times, people make resolutions based on impulse, neglecting the physical/emotional signs, which are sometimes visible for others to see.

It is natural for people to take stock of things at the end of a calendar year – this is December; hence the need to balance things as we look ahead into another year.

But seldom, many people base their resolutions on long-term goal, when in actual terms the real resolution should be a day-to-day reflection of actions and inactions.

The honest question begging for answers at this point is: how many of our New Year’s resolutions have we fulfilled?

While the question seems simple and innocent, high performance experts say about eight out of ten people fail their New Year resolutions in the first two weeks – especially when they try to generate new lifestyle habits.

According to experts, this failure rate is due to how people have been taught and how habit-building advice has been shared over time. In other words, people apply the wrong mindset to making New Year resolutions.

And, the outcome is simple – people make resolutions about tangible and intangible changes with a viewpoint that only great deeds or challenges help them improve; hence they fail to acknowledge the little wins recorded the day after the resolution was made.

“Waiting the 21 days that popular advice claims it takes to form a habit – or the 66 days that research actually suggests – feels impossible. By the time we write down our New Year’s resolutions, we’re already set up to fail.”

According to psychologists, resolutions are especially good after personal evaluations. This is so because there is usually a fresh start effect which provides a kind of reset and refreshing moment.

Psychologically, the mental break, apart from refreshing of the mind also gives room for better performance increasing optimism.

“I believe also that most people, if not everyone, wants to be a better version of themselves. This factor, coupled with what psychologists call social influence and norms – which come into play as many people make resolutions simultaneously – bring a sense of shared accountability and also temporarily boosts motivation,” said Johnson Ibidapo, a psychologist.

He added that there are many reasons Nigerians renege on their new year resolutions. Some of these factors he attributed to environmental and Psychomotor.

“These factors include but are not limited to: unrealistic expectations, setting vague goals and what I call the overconfidence effect. For some, the lack of specific action plans, usually cause initial motivation to wear out.

“Other reasons include: economic pressure, unstable income, family demands, limited support or total lack of support systems, health challenges, job burnout, weak accountability, among other factors,” Ibidapo said.

Psychologists are of the view that people have been led to believe there is only one path to achieving personal transformation – one that demands enormous effort, relentless repetition, and a level of consistency that simply does not fit with how people live today.

This approach fundamentally conflicts with modern life where people are accustomed to instant results – demanding progress that comes quickly and easily; while also craving for immediate feedback.

Read also: The hope of Christmas through the eyes of a nation in pain

Taking a daily dose of actions

“Resolution is now an everyday decision. You necessarily do not have to wait till the end of the year, or New Year to make a resolution; if you’re very sensitive to your environment and situations,” Gracious Akintayo, publisher, Providence News, said.

According to him, the ability to form a significant resolution depends on one’s level of self-awareness. “Someone who lacks a clear understanding of themselves will probably continue to wait until the New Year to make resolutions.

“However, those who can reinvent themselves, recognize their strengths, define objectives, and determine values will be driven by daily motivation, passion, and purpose, resulting in immediate action,” Akintayo said.

According to him, true resolutions arise from introspection and a sincere desire for self-improvement, regardless of timing, particularly in an era of rapid growth and environmental shifts.

Moses Lawal, a Lagos-based commentator, said resolution is a daily decision that should not be kept for later periods of the year or specific time in a year. “Every day is actually a new year to me. I don’t have to wait until the end of the year to make a resolution to better myself.

“If I needed to make a resolution, I must have a conviction, a goal, and determination to execute it in the first place. Those are the propellants that will drive me till I achieve my aim,” Lawal said.

Speaking to why people fail in their resolutions, Lawal said it could be attributed to taking decisions without holistic evaluations of the possible outcomes. “I guess for them, it’s more ritualistic without understanding what they are doing.”

Environmental challenges

In today’s Nigeria where there is insecurity, unstable utility prices and high food inflation, personal plans may change while expectations become unmet and new year resolutions only remain as desires and not translate into actionable plans.

For many, New Year resolutions remain a deeply personal ritual, shaped by hope, reflection, and the desire for a better future. Yet by February, many of those promises quietly disappear.

“Again, without clear timelines coupled with personal monitoring and evaluation of goals, as well as sufficient enough flexibility to accommodate new year debacles, motivation will usually fade away as people are confronted with immediate needs and social expectations,” Ibidapo said.

But, Ayo Awodunni, a Ward 5 councillor from Kitchener City, Canada, said the failure of resolutions is rarely about a lack of discipline. Instead, it is about the absence of structure.

“People don’t fail their resolutions because they lack discipline; they fail because they never built a structure to support change,” Awodunni said.

According to him, resolutions are emotional reactions based on individual’s highest and lowest moments. “Systems are what turn those emotions into lasting progress.”

His view resonates strongly in Nigeria, where economic pressure, inflation, job uncertainty, and rising costs of living often undermine even the most determined personal goals.

Nigerians, Awodunni notes, are natural goal-setters, but goals alone struggle to survive without systems such as habits, routines, accountability, and planning.

“In other words, set goals, but build systems to help you achieve them. Focus on your systems. That’s what helps you accomplish your goals,” he added.

This emotional foundation of resolutions is something Nosakhare Tunde Oni, a business development leader and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, sees clearly. “Most New Year resolutions are born from pain, not planning.”

For many Nigerians, 2024 like previous years came with prolonged economic strain, delayed ambitions, and emotional fatigue. In that context, resolutions often become reactions to exhaustion rather than carefully thought-out strategies for change.

“We want a different year without a different system. So, we promise ourselves change, but return to the same patterns once life settles back in,” Oni explains

This cycle, he argues, explains why January motivation often collapses by the first quarter. “Without systems, whether financial discipline, time management, accountability structures, or realistic habits, resolutions struggle against daily realities.”

For Frederick Henry Ajudua a former American football star at North Carolina central university, the story of resolutions begins with honest reflection rather than hype.

“My lowest moments this year weren’t dramatic,” he says. “They showed up as quiet frustration, plans that didn’t work out, effort that didn’t immediately pay off, and the tired feeling of trying to stay hopeful while life kept demanding more.”

Like many Nigerians, Ajudua describes a year defined more by perseverance than visible success. There were missed goals, delayed timelines, and moments of self-doubt. Yet his highest moments, he noted, were equally understated.

“Sometimes they were moments of clarity, resilience, or realizing that I survived things that once felt overwhelming,” Ajudua said.

Those experiences reshaped how he approached the new year. Rather than chasing dramatic transformation, his resolutions became simpler and more realistic: consistency, patience, and self-awareness.

“My goals are no longer about perfection. They are about steady progress and leaving room for grace,” he said.

Spiritual perspective

While psychologist pay keen attention to the psychomotor, some persons pay attention to the spiritual implications of why resolutions failed.

Best Ojo, National Pastor, Calvary Kingdom Church Int’l, Lagos. Nigeria, said the wisdom to direct is from God and that individials must lean on God for wisdom.

“It is actually a great thing to want to accomplish new things in a new year, but it would be unfair to yourself to just scribble out resolutions that don’t hold water, such as are born out of emptiness. When God saw emptiness in Genesis Chapter 1, He firstly had to call light to be. This means clarity. Clarity comes from the spirit of God in you,” he said.

He added that actualising one’s plans or resolutions for the year is not by might, nor by power but by the spirit of God.

“It is God who delivers us and helps us accomplish what we ought to accomplish. He perfects all that concerns us according to His will,” Ojo said.

What can be done to fulfill New Year resolutions

According to psychologist, people should learn to celebrate every moment, every win, and every achievement.

It is said that every time an individual accomplishes something, it is important to celebrate it to create positive reinforcement, with flexible and actionable plans.

“We must all learn to set realistic goals, create actionable plans with timelines and again sustain enough flexibility to accommodate environmental eventualities, and shocks as well as societal expectations that limit actions plans,” Ibidapo said.

As a new year begins, the more important question may no longer be what resolutions Nigerians are making, but what systems they are building to sustain their resolutions because while hope may start the journey, structure is what sees it through.

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