Every New Year’s Day, after the exhaustion from the night before begins wearing off, some people grab a piece of paper and write down their goals for the year. Quickly, I as well as others decide this year will be the year we follow through with them. However, without fail, many goals slip away around February and are never continued into March.

Typical resolutions include various forms of self-improvement from eating healthier to revamping your entire look. According to Live Science, the tradition of setting goals around New Year’s dates back almost 4,000 years. But even after that long, people still can’t seem to find a groove for following through on resolutions.

According to Statista, 45 percent of Americans that made New Year’s Resolutions in 2018 choose their goal based around achieving a healthier lifestyle. The 45 percent of Americans would agree the most obvious goal to start on Jan. 1 is to cut the carbs and hit the gym. One of the several problems with this at first glance is that so many people have the same exact idea. The gyms will go from deserted to overpopulated. Walking into an overcrowded gym and spending upward of 15 minutes waiting to test a new machine often leaves people feeling defeated and unmotivated. Starting new routines and lifestyles on a whim leaves some people unprepared and not always fully ready to start a goal.

Persistence is key in keeping resolutions. According to Business Insider, 65 percent of New Year’s resolutions don’t make it past the first month. Most people have all heard the saying, “If you fall, get back up again.” However, that saying rarely applies to year-long goals. It’s inevitable that some will lose motivation and break some goals at one point or another. What splits us into resolution-keepers and non-keepers is what we do after the fact. In order for a resolution to succeed, you can’t give up after one slip up. The few who do continue to keep their resolutions start again and try harder the next month. When someone decides to give up the resolution isn’t complete and they have to wait until next year to start the whole process again.

There are many reasons why year after year, New Year’s resolutions seem to fail us. But knowing why they fail is the first step to making them succeed this year. If anyone happens to fail, no one says they can’t start again mid-year.