Background
I am glad to inform you that in 2025, I achieved the life-time achievement record for my fitness targets. My walking statistics for 2025 was 40% higher than those achieved in 2024. I had not only overachieved my 2025 resolution that I set for 2025. My friends and acquaintances often ask me how am I able to achieve it. What is my secret to meeting my yearly resolutions achievement? Let me inform you that although I have achieved my health and well being resolutions, there are other resolutions which I carried throughout 2025 but did not achieve the overall targets for 2025. As I have set my 2026 resolutions now, let me discuss what is happening globally between 2025 resolutions versus those for 2026 and then discuss my mantra of achieving them.
Global Trends in New Year Resolutions Shifts from 2025 to 2026
There is a shift in the way people are shifting their focus of New Year Resolutions. The tangible shift is summarized in the table:
| Category | 2025 Focus | 2026 Focus (Shift) |
| Health & Fitness | Weight loss, gym routines | Sustainable movement, balanced nutrition |
| Mental Well-being | Stress reduction | Mindfulness, digital detox, sleep hygiene |
| Financial Goals | Saving money | Long-term investing, debt reduction |
| Career Development | Job change | Upskilling, certifications, productivity |
As the table above demonstrates, the shift in the resolutions in 2025 was reactive to the living and environment of the people to a more proactive one in 2026. In 2025 people’s new year resolutions revealed a strong focus on health, mental well-being, financial stability, and personal growth. Achievements included greater awareness of preventive health, reforms in lifestyle habits, and increased use of technology to track progress. Meeting resolutions in 2026 requires setting realistic goals, breaking them into small habits, and using accountability tools. People have realized that its no use in setting goals and resolutions that ultimately fail and do not meet the overall objectives. 2026 resolutions are less about big promises and more about small, consistent habits that align with identity and long-term aspirations. People are focusing on health, mindfulness, and financial resilience, supported by technology but grounded in realistic, value-driven choices.
Key Statistics for New Year 2026 Resolutions
Now let’s discuss on the current 2026 specifically
| Category | Global Trends | India-Specific Trends |
| Health & Fitness | Top priority worldwide; daily movement, exercise, and balanced diets dominate resolutions | 65% of Indians plan to improve physical health in 2026 |
| Mental Well-being | Strong focus on reducing stress, limiting screen time, and practicing mindfulness | Emotional balance and digital detox are rising goals |
| Financial Stability | Saving money, reducing debt, and building investments are among the top 5 resolutions globally | Financial security is a major resolution alongside health |
| Career & Skills | Learning new skills, career development, and productivity improvements are trending | Students emphasize study habits, time management, and experiential learning |
| Sustainability & Lifestyle | Shift toward value-driven, eco-conscious habits (less waste, mindful consumption) | Focus on balance between work, health, and family |
New Year Resolutions Achievement Statistics
Now let’s discuss a bit on the overall outcome of New Year Resolutions. Only about 9–19% of New Year’s resolutions were successfully achieved in 2025. Surveys show that while many people start strong, most resolutions fade quickly, with long-term success remaining quite low. Some of the reasons which I sumarised after speaking with people include:
- Resolution fatigue: Studies show 80% of resolutions fail by February 2025, often due to unrealistic expectations.
- Over-reliance on apps: While trackers help, they can create guilt cycles if goals aren’t met.
- Economic pressures: Financial resolutions may be harder to sustain in uncertain markets.
- Overambitious Goals: Large, vague resolutions often lead to frustration and early abandonment.
- Digital Overload: Ironically, while people resolve to reduce screen time, habit-tracking apps may increase digital dependency.
- Consistency Gap: The biggest hurdle is sustaining motivation beyond January; small, realistic steps are more effective.
My Mantra of Achieving the New Year Resolutions
Building Addictive Behaviour to the Neurochemical Hormonal Cycle and its Negative Downside
I have been achieving my New Year Resolutions since 2017 where I changed my approach to trick and train my brain by creating an addiction behaviour to neurochemical reactions when I achieved a resolution or daily goal, our brain releases a mix of “happy hormones” — dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — which together boost motivation, mood, connection, and well-being. Let me first explain these neurochemical reactions through these hormones first and then discuss the approach to releasing them to achieve the resolutions.
| Hormone | Role in Resolutions Achievement | Effect on You |
| Dopamine | Released when you accomplish a task or reach a milestone. | Creates pleasure, motivation, and a “reward loop” that drives you to keep going. |
| Serotonin | Linked to mood regulation and satisfaction. | Gives a sense of calm, confidence, and well-being after success. |
| Oxytocin | Often called the “bonding hormone.” | Strengthens social connections, teamwork, and feelings of trust when you share your achievement. |
| Endorphins | Released during physical activity or emotional highs. | Reduce stress and pain, creating a euphoric “runner’s high” feeling. |
Prior to 2016, I was on a negative spiral of neurochemical hormone release or in a reverse cycle of neurochemistry of my brain as I was procrastinating my resolutions and weak in my resolve. As a result these hormones were imbalanced. I am summarizing the negative impact of these hormones that played on me.
| Hormone | When You Don’t Meet Your Resolutions | Negative Impact |
| Dopamine | No reward signal is triggered. | Loss of motivation, procrastination, and feelings of inadequacy. |
| Serotonin | Levels may drop due to disappointment or stress. | Mood swings, irritability, and increased risk of depression. |
| Oxytocin | Reduced social bonding and trust. | Isolation, self-doubt, and difficulty seeking support. |
| Endorphins | Less physical or emotional stimulation. | Heightened pain sensitivity, fatigue, and emotional dullness. |
The imbalance of these hormones in the brain, were leading to reduced motivation, mood instability, social withdrawal, and increased stress or pain sensitivity. Every Resolution felt like scaling Mount Kailash which no human has ever scaled and felt impossible to me to meet.
Tricking the Brain to The Neurochemical Hormonal Addiction of Discipline
At the end of 2016, I did not achieve any of my New Year Resolutions. I sat down to reflect back to understand the negative consequences of the neurochemical hormonal activity on me and my well being. These manifested in the following ways through 2016.
- Dopamine is tied to the brain’s reward system. As my goals aren’t met, the expected dopamine surge doesn’t occur, which made my future efforts feel pointless.
- Serotonin is linked to self-esteem and social status. My failure to achieve the resolutions triggered a drop, especially if it affects how I perceive myself standing in front of the mirror of myself.
- Oxytocin thrives on connection. This failure lead to shame or withdrawal, oxytocin release is suppressed, weakening emotional resilience in me.
- Endorphins are often boosted by movement and joy. Without success or celebration, their absence can made stress and discomfort more pronounced.
By 2018, I would turn fifty. I had a year to prove that age is just a number. Hence my resolution in 2017 was to prove that my metabolic age is lower than my biological age. I have discussed this in my podcast on longevity.
The first step to achieve this resolution was to break my own personal identity that I was disciplined enough to be a younger person when my brain tried to keep my behaviour consistent with current identity that I am going to be 50 years old. This lead to a conflict and dissonance in my brain so as to delay and procrastination in taking actions. I did this in Four Steps:
Step 1: Re-Identity Declaration
For my 2017 resolution, instead of saying, I want to be younger, I changed my identity to “I am becoming metabolically younger.” The shift that I took was to change from the goal of improving my fitness goals to an identity that I am metabolically younger. I realized that my brain cared less about my fitness but more about my identity of being younger which is what it accepted as my identity and started behavioral changes towards my metabolically younger self and actions that lead towards it.
Step 2: No More Plans but Small Steps and Actions
Instead of making elaborate plans that I used to create but abandon by February of the year, I started taking immediate actions. I was introduced to Kaatsu by one of a close friend when I was visiting US and included it in my daily routine starting with 5 minutes. This was not a disciplined routine activity but as random. These random activities of Kaatsu were impulsive and did not my brain to process the routine that I used to set and was more breaking the norm of discipline
Step 3: Creating a Positive Neurochemical Hormonal Self Acknowledgement
For every random small achievement, I felt a positive neurochemical hormonal rush of dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — which together boosted my motivation, mood, connection, and well-being to start increasing the random activities to increasing the frequency and time for more of Kaatsu. Towards the mid of 2017, I did my metabolic age diagnostic test. The results showed my age to be 45 years while I was 49 years and inching towards 50 in a few months. This test results convinced my brain that I was indeed younger which is the identity I had set in my Resolution.
Step 4: Sustaining the Neurochemical Hormonal Activity and Accepting The New Model of Me
By end of 2017, I had achieved my fitness and well being goals as per my New Year Resolutions, but also my brain started fighting my thoughts that I am going to be turning 50 years. I started feeling younger and more focused. My brain had updated the mental model of me from one who was in a negative downward neurochemical hormonal cycle to one who was on a younger high with positive upward neurochemical hormonal cycle and going into 2018 with a more positive health and well being New Year Resolutions that I was confident of achieving for the next year.
This change in me has kept me driven over the last few years till date when I set my New Year Resolutions and I stick to it!
