Every year, millions of people around the world set New Year’s resolutions. These are deeply personal goals that people want to achieve to better their lives, relationships, and careers. With goals so important to us, you’d think we would stick with them. So why do 80% of people give up on their resolutions by February?

Let’s dive into some of the most popular resolutions and methods for following through on them.

Taking Care of Your Health

As much as you want to roll your eyes hearing, “it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle,” those vegan hipsters might be onto something. The research is looking good for people that make changes that fit their lifestyle. Setting goals that are too far outside the realm of normal for you will ultimately be overwhelming. Failing to achieve an outlandish goal can diminish the reality that you can make lasting improvements by implementing small changes over time. Though it might feel good to overhaul every bad habit for a month, that path will lead to a relapse more times than not.

Managing Your Finances

Taco Bell is great. It’s quick, it’s easy, and you don’t have to cook. But guess what? Buying a pack of tortillas, some ground beef, shredded cheese, and veggies is a much better alternative to grabbing fast food three times a week. First of all, it’s always cheaper to buy from the grocery store. You can make 5 times the food you’d get from TB for just a few bucks more. Second, if you’re looking for help with #1 on this list, cutting fast food is a great place to start. So next time you’re craving a Chalupa, stop by the grocery store instead. You’ll save money and learn how to cook a few meals you’ll love, even if they’re as simple as tacos or pasta.

Keeping Yourself Focused

Ahh, the paradox of social media. Because, like, it’s social. Right? Not quite. If you’re the person tirelessly on your phone when you’re out to dinner or at a bar with friends, – brace yourself for this – you’re not being a good friend, and you’re not being social either. Being present with people is a skill and a necessity in the workforce, and like all other skills, you have to develop it. You’re going to have some problems at work if you can’t leave your phone alone for a couple of hours, so it might be time to try out an app like Offtime, Moment, or Flipd. They’ll do anything from alerting you when you’re spending too much time on your phone to locking you out of apps when it’s time to buckle down.

Making Your Voice heard

We live in a time where people often hold their tongues to make sure nobody is uncomfortable, even when a criticism could better an idea or improve a process. The Dutch have a word – they’ve got the best words – called “bespreekbaarheid” (you won’t be tested on pronunciation) and it translates into English as “discussable”. What it really gets at though, is the idea that honesty should come before empathy. What you know and what you think is valuable to the people around you and vice versa. Only by testing your thoughts and ideas with the people you have access to can you find the best idea or solution. So don’t take offense to criticism. Think about why it was offered. If it makes sense, learn from it and better your ideas. If you have a differing opinion, deliver it and prove yourself right.

Finding Work You Love

You might think that finding a new job is as easy as sending in a resume to a few companies. In reality, you should be putting as much time and effort into your job search as you would any other resolution. Do your homework! What does the company do? Is it in an industry you’re interested in? What’s the culture like? If your only criterion for a company to meet is “did they hire me,” it’s time to rethink how you’re searching. If you’re looking to work for an industry leader, find that. If you want to work for a company that supports its employees, ask questions during interviews about training and development. Maybe you want to work somewhere that provides opportunities to get together with colleagues outside of work. If you want all of those things, it sounds like Reynolds might be a good fit for you.

At Reynolds, personal growth and accountability are hallmarks of our culture. It takes determination and a serious amount of will power to achieve your resolutions, and those are the qualities we want in our employees. According to research from the University of Scranton, only 8% of people actually follow through on the goals they set on January 1^st. If you’re part of that 8%, you’re what we’re looking for. Come and see what we’re all about.