Quitter’s Day: Why You Might Be Ready to Give Up on Your Resolutions
By Dr. Michelle Beadle Holder
Every year, on the second Friday of January, something fascinating happens. It's the day most people abandon their New Year’s resolutions. This phenomenon, known as "Quitter’s Day," marks the point when approximately 80% of Americans throw in the towel on the goals they set just two weeks earlier.
I first encountered the concept when I saw an Apple Watch commercial referencing Quitter’s Day, and it immediately caught my attention. Intrigued, I dug deeper and came across an article in The Huffington Post that explored the striking statistics behind this trend.
When I first learned about Quitter's Day, I couldn't help but laugh. I’ve certainly experienced the cycle of starting the year with high hopes and dreams, only to fall short by mid-January. While I can laugh about it now, there were times when it was frustrating. I would get hard on myself for not meeting some internal or external standard of achievement.
The Cycle of Resolutions: Hopeful Beginnings, Early Setbacks
If you’re someone who sets ambitious goals every January, only to feel defeated by mid-month, you’re not alone. Whether it's getting back to the gym, following a strict diet, losing weight, cutting down on screen time, or pursuing a big career milestone, many of us start the year full of optimism. But by mid-January, that enthusiasm fades.
You may begin to wonder: Why can’t I stick to my goals? And it’s not just about a failed fitness routine or an abandoned hobby. It’s a deeper emotional cycle. You begin the year excited, but the pressure to "achieve" quickly catches up. Before long, you're not only giving up on resolutions but questioning why you feel drained, unfulfilled, and overwhelmed.
Reframe Your Goals: From Perfection to Growth
One of the most powerful ways to break free from Quitter’s Day is to shift your mindset from "success or failure" to one of "growth and self-compassion." Progress isn’t about perfection; it’s about learning, evolving, and becoming a better version of yourself along the way. This lesson about growth has been transformative for me in both my personal life and professional goals, but it became especially clear after learning about the concept of a growth mindset.
Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the term growth mindset, and her research showed that people who believe their abilities, intelligence, and talents can be developed over time — through effort, learning, and persistence — tend to perform better and report higher levels of happiness. This is in contrast to those with a fixed mindset, who believe their abilities are innate and unchangeable.
In a growth mindset, challenges are viewed as opportunities for personal development, rather than obstacles. Mistakes or setbacks aren’t failures; they’re part of the learning process. This mindset encourages risk-taking, persistence in the face of difficulty, and continuous self-improvement.
Here’s how a growth mindset can help overcome Quitter’s Day:
Here’s how adopting a growth mindset can help you power through Quitter’s Day and stay committed to your goals:
Redefine Setbacks as Opportunities: Instead of seeing a slip-up (like missing a workout or breaking a diet) as a failure, a growth mindset encourages you to treat it as a learning experience. What didn’t work? How can you adjust? This perspective helps you stay motivated, even when things don’t go as planned.
Focus on Effort, Not Just Results: A growth mindset values the process, not just the outcome. Even if you haven’t reached your goal yet, every step forward is progress. This shift helps you stay committed, understanding that long-term success comes from consistent effort, not instant results.
Adjust and Recalibrate: Flexibility is key. A growth mindset allows you to reassess your goals and adjust them as needed. Life changes, and so can your goals. If your original resolution isn’t working or needs tweaking, that’s okay. Growth is about evolving, not rigidly sticking to one plan.
In essence, a growth mindset makes it easier to view Quitter’s Day as just another part of the journey, not an end point. It enables you to bounce back from setbacks with self-compassion and to adjust your goals in a way that fosters growth rather than abandoning them altogether.
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