Publically pledging is key to achieving New Year’s resolutions
A new global study reveals that one in two people are more likely to stick to a resolution which has been pledged publicly. Those in the far east (Vietnam 84% and Thailand 77%) together with India (58%) and France (57%) are the most likely to fulfil their goals if shared for others to see.
As 2014 draws to a close, Microsoft Lumia has launched #MakeItHappen to help people salvage the current year’s goals. Microsoft Lumia invites people to publicly pledge their unmet 2014 resolutions online, with the offer to help make 31 of these a reality throughout the month of December. To launch #MakeItHappen, Microsoft Lumia has unveiled the world’s unfulfilled 2014 resolutions that after 11 months have yet to be met, alongside plans for the New Year ahead.
2014: Self-sacrifice and self-improvement
The survey revealed that over two thirds (68%) of the world’s goals were about wanting to sacrifice time to help others. Vietnam (48%) and India (40%) top the list of good intentions, wishing they had done more for others in 2014. Vietnam and India also took the top spot with over a quarter wishing they had done more for their country (29% and 28% respectively) and for their community (Vietnam 19%, India 23%).
There was a clear northern and southern hemisphere divide with those in Mexico, India and Vietnam more likely to perform acts of kindness as their resolutions, contrasting with only 15% of the UK stating they wanted to offer their time to others.
The UK, US and Germany proved more individualistic, with 31% of people stating they would only set goals to benefit themselves.
In the spirit of self-improvement, the results also highlight a classic New Year’s resolution - dieting and weight loss. In 2014 Brazil, UK and the US led the way in wishing they had lost weight (41%, 40% and 38% respectively) during the year.
2015: Driven to succeed
Looking to 2015, a greater number of Brits and Americans desire to lose weight – 16% of Brits and 13% of Americans, versus an average of 7% amongst other nations. The French (6%), Italians (3%) and Vietnamese (2%) were the least likely to mention weight loss as a stated goal.
Thirty-eight per cent of all respondents would agree that 2015 should be dedicated to careers, scoring above family and relationships (16%) and education (7%). Nearly one in ten people in the southern hemisphere is focused on career progression in 2015, compared to only 6% of people living in the northern hemisphere. Women's desire to gain employment in Brazil and Italy is almost twice as high compared to their male counterparts (Brazil 11% vs 7% and Italy 10% vs. 5%). By contrast, the northern hemisphere prefers to focus on a healthy lifestyle and worry less about money.
Making It Happen
Mark Newton, senior programme manager at Microsoft states: “It’s almost a given that people will make New Year’s resolutions they are unable to fulfil, but this year, we want things to be different.
“Our global poll reveals a wealth of unfulfilled aspirations for 2014. With the clock ticking, we have dedicated December to helping people #MakeItHappen. Every day in December we will choose one person’s 2014 resolution and help bring it to fruition.”
#MakeItHappen was created to inspire people around the world to stick to, and fulfil their 2014 ambitions. With even bigger and bolder resolutions forecasted next year, Microsoft Lumia is a key tool that empowers people to achieve more while enjoying what matters in life.
Get time back, to give back time: The rise of voice-activated personal assistants like Cortana on Microsoft Lumia devices could help the time-poor by combining recurring appointments with helpful prompts – such as reminders to make appointments on time, and the day’s weather forecast to ensure a delay-free journey.
Improve your professional creds: Lumia devices offer a range of apps that will help you keep on top of work, including the complete Office suite. Apps like LinkedIn and Skype could help you connect with the right people to get that dream job, while OneDrive cloud storage ensures your most important files are always at your fingertips.
And so much more…Lumia devices are packed with great apps that can help you fulfil resolutions such as keeping up to date with family and friends - Skype and apps like WhatsApp and Facebook are all available. Microsoft Lumia smartphones also support an abundance of apps to aid people’s health and wellness goals, such as MyFitnessPal and FitBit.
Many more are available should you want to travel more, sort your finances, find your dream job or simply sort out your work-life balance. For those who want to capture the moment, Lumia is known for their best camera quality and a range of picture editing apps such as Creative Studio and Instagram.
Visit microsoft.com/mobile/make-things-happen for more information on #MakeItHappen and Microsoft Lumia devices, to pledge your resolution.