New Years Resolutions
You’re told you should make them. To better yourself in the coming year.
And so you start of the year with great expectations. And delusions of grandeur. And within a month it all turns to shit.
Why?
Because it doesn’t take into account basic human nature and the lack of self control that is in inherent in all of us.
So what’s the solution?
Before we jump into that lets look at the reasons why if making your New Year’s Resolutions the same way everyone else does, you’re destined for failure.
Why We Fail
Motivation Wanes – The Fallacy of Willpower
You know it. You have this great plan to start working out three times a week before work. Then the alarm goes off. And you think about getting out of bed and heading to the gym. But your bed is warm and it’s so cold outside. And you’re so freaking tired. “Just 10 more minutes then I’ll get up,” you tell yourself. And you go back to sleep. And tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow.
Life Happens – Interruption City
Or you plan on doing your workout after work as soon as you get home. Go for a run.
But work ran late. And you’re starving. So you say, “I’ll just grab a bite to eat then head out the door for my run.” But then you’re full after dinner. And you need to wait a half hour or so to digest your food. So you turn on the TV. And pretty soon it is too late (don’t want to have your workout keep you wired so you can’t fall asleep). So you don’t go. And tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow.
Existing Habits Are Like Railroad Tracks
You’ve not worked out in years. But this is the year to start. And you power through it. You start developing your new routine. But you find yourself falling back into the old one. It’s just so easy to backslide and so hard to stay focused and doing the new habits.
It is amazing how much people think they can just will themselves into it. You really are creating a completely new lifestyle (or at least that is how your mind and body are viewing it). And so there is such a strong force pulling you back to what is “comfortable”.
You see it all the time when an athlete is trying to make a change. Like Tiger Woods when he was trying to revamp his swing so he wouldn’t have as many back problems. The new swing was uncomfortable. It didn’t feel right. And that is exactly how a new habit is supposed to feel. It should feel weird. Not you. Strange. But if it didn’t it would lead to doing things the way they’ve always been done. Because that is familiar. And comfortable. An normal. And ultimately not beneficial. So you backslide. And tell yourself you’ll do it tomorrow.
Lack of Flexibility – When Fixed Goals Become Irrelevant
Then there is the goal you set at the start of the year. And after a few months your life changes or the circumstances what mattered when you set the goal are no longer relevant. And so you have a now ineffective or useless goal that gives you a reason to stop.
Instead of choosing a new goal or focusing on your other goals that are still relevant, you bail.
So what does it take to achieve your goals?… ➔
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