New Year’s Resolutions: Unlikely to Pan Out for 40 Percent of Americans Who Actually Make Them

New Year’s resolutions are so yesterday.

But, John Norcross, a psychology professor at the University of Scranton and author of “Changeology: 5 Steps to ­Realizing your Goals and Resolutions,” tells the Boston Globe that studies show that about 60 percent of American adults plan to make a resolution and that 40 percent actually do.

Who knows how many of those who make resolutions actually stick with them.

It’s estimated that 75 percent of New Year’s resolutions end in failure, reports Voxxi, a independent online news site.

Psychologists and other self-help gurus note the obvious — set realistic goals and make out a plan on how to achieve it.

For example, if going back to school seems like one of those New Year’s resolutions that you’re not likely to stick with — right up there with losing weight, getting organized, clearing your life of debt, quitting smoking — the City of Phoenix’s College Depot might help.

The college planning center, on the second floor of Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., might give you a push in the right direction, especially if you’re not sure where to start or how to come up with the money to pay for school.

College Depot is offering five free workshops in January, including on how to navigate the federal financial aid application process and free one-on-one help exploring career choices.

Click here for a workshop lineup.

From the Globe:

Joseph Boskin, a Boston University professor emeritus of American social history, says that believing we have the opportunity to reinvent ourselves is a significant American characteristic.

Boskin never makes resolutions, he said, “but I wouldn’t mind if many people I know would indeed change. I would applaud it, but I think I’m more cynical than that.”

Now there’s an idea — from now on, make resolutions that highlight the changes that people around you need to make.