My Client’s New Year’s Resolutions Didn’t Work. Now What?
By February, many coaching sessions include a familiar moment.
The resolution didn’t stick, even though it checked every box. It was specific, measurable, realistic, and time-bound. On paper, it was the SMARTest of SMART goals. And still, it fell apart. What felt clear and motivating in January (#2026goals) no longer fits the reality of February.
For coaches, this can trigger an urge to want to fix it for the client. Let’s adjust the goal, or make it smaller, add accountability, make it even SMARTer!
Before doing any of that, it helps to pause.
Treat This Moment as Information, Not a Problem
Most New Year’s resolutions don’t fail because clients lack willpower or the goals weren’t prescriptive enough. They fail because the plan did not match the reality of the client’s capacity.
New Year’s resolutions are often made during a brief window of optimism and cultural pressure #newyearnewyou. Energy is higher, expectations are loud, and the environment feels supportive of change. Heck - your client was probably on vacation when they made the goal. Then life resumes, stress returns, and nervous systems fall back into familiar patterns.
When a resolution doesn’t stick, it usually means the system did not have enough safety, energy, or support to sustain it.
Get Curious Before You Revise
Instead of immediately fixing the plan, curiosity often serves the work better. Ask the client what felt hard to follow through on? Which part of the plan became unrealistic once January ended?
What changed when real life showed up?
These questions shift the conversation from failure to data, and we like data. Data carries a lot less shame than “failure.” Data also allows us to pivot and revise.
Remind your clients that from a nervous system perspective, dropped resolutions often signal that the goal required more energy than was available or created more pressure than their system could tolerate. That is useful information, not a setback.
February Is a Different Season
I swear, February just has a different energy than January.
Energy is often lower. Stress is cumulative. Seasonal factors matter (cough, #neverendingwinter). Treating February like a continuation of January expectations can increase shame and disengagement.
Coaching that respects seasonality tends to feel kinder and more effective. Goals may need to be smaller. Pacing may need to slow. Success may need to be redefined.
Why This Moment Matters
How you respond when a client’s resolution doesn’t work often matters more than whether the resolution worked at all.
Meeting this moment with curiosity and regulation builds trust. It shows clients that progress does not depend on perfect follow-through. It reinforces that coaching is about learning how change actually works, not performing success.
At Nested, we teach coaches to treat resolution drop-off as information, not an failure.
February is not too late to set some goals.
It’s just a more honest starting point.