New Year, Same You: Why Resolutions Fail and What Works Instead

New Year's resolutions have a 92% failure rate. You know this. You've failed at resolutions. Everyone has. The pattern is: make big promise, be excited for two weeks, slip back into old habits, feel bad, forget about it by February.

Here's why it happens, and what actually works instead.

Why Resolutions Fail

They're Too Big

"Get healthier" or "change my diet" isn't a resolution. It's a direction without a target. Your brain doesn't execute on vague directions. It executes on specific, small behaviors.

They Ignore Environment

You can't willpower your way through bad environment design. If your kitchen is full of bread and cookies, you'll eat bread and cookies. Willpower is a myth. Environment is real.

They Rely on Motivation

Motivation is inconsistent. It's a feeling. You're not going to feel motivated on January 17th at 6 PM after a hard day. Habits don't care about motivation. Build the behavior, motivation follows later.

They Ignore Identity

You're trying to change behavior without changing how you see yourself. If you see yourself as "someone who tries but always fails at diets," then you will. The identity part is the hard part. Behavior follows identity naturally.

What Actually Works

Make It Small

Not "start carnivore." Start "eat meat for lunch every day for two weeks." That's doable. Two weeks in, it's a habit. Then add another meal. Then optimize. Small stacks into big.

Change Your Environment First

Before willpower, fix your surroundings. If you're eating processed food, it's probably in your house. Remove it. Keep meat in your freezer. Make the right choice the easy choice.

Build Identity, Not Just Habits

"I'm starting a diet" is temporary. "I'm someone who eats meat and feels good" is identity. Which one will you do? The diet you can quit. The identity you can't, because it's who you are now.

Start by doing the behavior. The identity follows. Act like someone who takes their health seriously for 30 days. By day 31, you're not acting anymore.

Track Something Simple

Not calories. Not macros. Track: "Did I eat carnivore today?" Yes or no. That's it. A streak of yes answers is motivating. It's also visible progress that motivates more progress.

Find Your Why

This matters more than you think. Not "I should be healthier." That's weak. Is it "I want to have energy to play with my kids"? Is it "I want to not feel like shit every afternoon"? Is it "I want to prove to myself I can do hard things"?

If your why is strong enough, the how takes care of itself.

The Carnivore-Specific Advantage

Carnivore is actually the easiest diet to stick to because it's restrictive. No choices about what you're eating. Meat. Done. Fewer decisions means more consistency. Most diets fail because they require constant willpower. This one is simple enough that it becomes automatic.

The Real Formula

Start small. Fix your environment. Stop relying on motivation. Build identity. Track progress visibly. Know your real why. That's it. That's the whole formula.

Why New Year Matters (And Why It Doesn't)

The New Year is psychologically powerful. It's a marker. A fresh start. Use that. But understand that January 2nd is no more special than June 15th. The only thing that matters is the next action.

Don't wait for January 1st if you want to start. But if it's December 28th and you want to start on New Year's, fine. Use the psychological momentum. Just don't think January 1st is magic. Consistency is magic. Starting is easy. Staying is hard.

One Thing That Actually Changes Everything

Tell someone. Make the commitment public and specific. "I'm going to eat carnivore in January" vs. "I'm going to eat only meat for January, and I'm going to tell you how it goes every week."

Public commitment changes behavior. Not because shame works (it doesn't long-term), but because it makes you take it seriously. You said you would. Now you probably will.

The Honest Take

New Year's resolutions fail because they're designed wrong. If you design them right (small, specific, identity-focused, environmentally supported, publicly committed), they work. Most people fail because they're trying to change their whole life with willpower. Change your environment. Change your identity. The willpower part becomes unnecessary.

—Marcus