Fill in the gaps with one of the following words: vow, better, tend, identical, magical, sticking, quit, prior, annual, less, common, lack, fit, escape, so, track
The start of every New Year is when we all make plans to change our life for the (1) over the forthcoming twelve months. Psychiatry professor Jayashri Kulkarni says: "January 1 is a '(2) ' date and a (3) made on this day is much more powerful than one made on August 26, for example." So, we all make a list of things to (4) , start or change. Unfortunately, most of these promises are, more often than not, broken by January 31st. They are usually the (5) resolutions that were not fulfilled from the previous year, and the years (6) to that. The website usa.gov says people, "(7) to make the same resolutions year after year, even though they have a hard time (8) to them".
Research shows 45 per cent of us make a New Year's resolution. The most (9) vows include losing weight, volunteering to help others, quitting smoking, saving money, and getting (10) . Others include eating healthier food, drinking (11) alcohol, and going on a trip. However, research also shows that most of us are not (12) good at sticking to these. A study from the University of Scranton reveals that 71 per cent of us stick to our (13) promises for the first two weeks; six months later, less than 50 per cent are still on (14) to keep their resolutions. Most people who give up on their resolutions do so because of a (15) of willpower and the use of the '(16) clause' that they will 'try again next year'.
