People losing their resolve on resolutions

Fewer people making vows that most could never keep

For 2006, Billy Dalton resolved to cut down on eating out. But on Sunday, when friends asked him to lunch, he caved in.

“It’s still a holiday,” Dalton said, laughing about his resolution after downing a hamburger and fries at Jefferson’s Restaurant, 743 Mass. “It’s supposed to start after this day.”

Exercise more. Eat less. Save money. Quit smoking. Be a nicer person.

The resolutions sound good when made, but the challenge lies in keeping them.

More than 90 percent of resolutions fail, according to Stephen Shapiro, author of “Goal-Free Living: How to Have the Life You Want Now.”

And, according to Shapiro, the number of people making resolutions is on the decline. Shapiro, president of Goalfree.com, recently released the results of a survey. It found that 45 percent of people said they write up New Year’s resolutions, down from 88 percent who did so in the past.

“You set yourself up for defeat,” said Josh Homan, a Lawrence resident who dismisses resolutions altogether. They’re absurd, he said.

“It’s better to make a resolution for yourself on your own time,” said Kim Bui, a Kansas City resident who also forgoes the ritual.

But some say there’s nothing wrong with setting a goal on New Year’s.

The start of the year can be a good time to mark the start of a change, said Donald Tiffany, a clinical psychologist in Lawrence.

The key is planning for a serious change and not simply making an empty statement, Tiffany said.

“You’ve got to make them in a serious manner,” he said. “If you don’t have a plan, you’re not going to carry it out.”

On Shapiro’s Web site, www.goalfree.com, the author gives a list of pointers for those who want to make New Year’s resolutions. Among his tips: pick a theme rather than a measurable goal and be open to new possibilities and changes in direction.

Hayden Fowler, a Lawrence resident, said he thinks he’s set the right conditions to be successful in his goal of cutting out soft drinks from his diet as a way to trim his body.

Fowler started work on the resolution before New Year’s. He also told others about his goals so they won’t offer him soda and make it easier for him to fall off the wagon. This is key to meeting the goal, he said.

Joni Schultz, a Lawrence resident, is relying on willpower to quit smoking. She had her last cigarette before the new year.

“I’ve been eating candy like crazy,” she said.

And, she has avoided being around people who smoke.

“I think I can do it,” she said of the resolution. “You just got to have strong willpower.”