New Year’s Resolutions – Georgia And South Carolina’s Top Goals For 2024
The holiday season has come and gone. And here were are at the end of 2023. It’s been a busy year, with many highs and lows. This is the time of year many people start thinking about their New Year’s resolutions.
Not everyone makes them. In fact, we asked around the office here at Beasley and the majority of people said they don’t make resolutions. Some even said they knew it would be empty promises or they would be lying to themselves. But even so, there are still many who do make resolutions each year.
Setting Goals
As the new year approaches, it’s a time to reflect on the past year. What were the highlights of your year? What did you do well this year? And usually from that, people start to think about setting the resolutions.
After a busy holiday season that often involves a lot of big dinners and sweets, it’s not uncommon for many people to set resolutions regarding their health and wellness. But those aren’t the only goals people set for themselves.
Personal development has become more and more popular, and you can see that just about everywhere you look. There are numerous social media influencers who post about ways to improve your life. And let’s not even get started on the variety of books and podcasts available. Chances are, if you’re looking to improve yourself, you’ll definitely be able to find something to suit your style.
Disappointment
With New Year’s resolutions, you can do a quick Google search and find a wide number of statistic on how many people actually stick with goals. And let’s be honest, it can be a little disappointing how many times people fail to keep it up.
But, in an article on the San Fernando Valley Sun, they interviewed a psychiatrist, Dr. Zucker, who had some feedback on how to be successful when it comes to your resolutions.
One of the biggest takeaways is how we often set unrealistic goals. If you set the bar too high, it can be difficult to see results, leading us to give up before we reach the goal.
Dr. Zucker recommends you plan ahead. But also, you need to be consistent. He also points out you should be very specific when you set your goal.
And you also want to keep it simple. If you try to change too many things at once, it can lead to overwhelm, and that, in turn, can lead you to giving up. Instead, set one or two small, realistic goals for yourself.
Along the way, you can always re-evaluate the goals. Adjusting those goals is okay! And most importantly– be kind to yourself. If you get off track, forgive yourself and move on. You can always start again.
And if you’re not one to do New Year’s resolutions… that’s okay too. But for those in Georgia and South Carolina, let’s take a look at the most common resolution people are heading into 2024 with!
Resolutions In Georgia And South Carolina
The website BetKentucky conducted a survey to see what the top New Year’s resolutions would be in each state for 2024. And honestly, most of these won’t surprise you.
The top overall resolution? “Save money & budget better.” In fact, 40% of those surveyed had this answer. And it was the top choice for those of us in Georgia and South Carolina (along with a bunch of other states too).
When it came time to ask about how long we usually stick with our resolutions, in Georgia, the answer was May. That’s 5 months, which is more than the majority! In South Carolina, we don’t tend to stick with our goals that long. The average in the Palmetto State was sticking with resolutions until March, which is what the majority of the US does.
Overall Top New Year’s Resolutions
The top 3 resolutions in the United States are:
- Save money & budget better. (40%)
- Eat healthier & improve diet. (38%)
- Lose weight & get fit. (30%) But this one actually tied with improving mental health and reducing stress.
We’re not really surprised that saving money is a big priority for the majority of Americans right now. Inflation hit us all hard in 2023. And it’s also not a surprise that because of financial stress, many people are taking on second jobs or side hustles just to make ends meet.
In fact, a quick look at CNBC’s Make It page, side hustles are a really hot topic. There are numerous articles about ideas for side hustles and stories of people who have successfully done it. This is a trend that we feel is going to continue to grow as we head into the new year.
New Year, New You?
Whether you set New Year’s resolutions for yourself or not, we hope that 2024 is a great year for you and your family. And if you do set those goals, we wish you the best of luck!
