12/20/2025
New Year’s resolutions often fail because they ignore how behavior actually changes.
We focus on big outcomes instead of specific behaviors. We try to change everything at once. We rely on willpower instead of setting up supports.
These principles aren’t just for professionals—they matter for parents, too. The same behavior strategies that help professionals set goals also support families building routines, consistency, and sustainable change at home.
What works? Start small. Be specific. Build in supports. Notice progress. Reinforce yourself.
That’s how goals actually stick.
More on setting values-driven goals using behavior-analytic principles:
Let's be honest: New Year's resolutions are kind of a setup.We set these big, ambitious goals in January when we're feeling motivated and rested. Then life happens. Work gets busy. Motivation fades. And by February, we're back to our old patterns, feeling like we failed at something we never had a r...