Congratulations, you’ve made it two weeks into the New Year! For many of us, those two weeks have been full of positive changes- getting up early to go to the gym, spending less time staring at a screen, actually going to class. Unfortunately, as we go into our third week of January, we might also be seeing some of our old habits starting to resurface. I mean come on! I can’t just stop drinking entire pots of coffee cold turkey!
Giving up resolutions isn’t unusual this time of year; according to the athletic social networking site, Strava, January 17 is the date most fitness resolutions begin to fail. And this doesn’t only apply to fitness resolutions! John Norcross from the University of Scranton sited in a 2002 study that 71% of individuals had abandoned their resolutions within the first two-weeks of the new year. A lot of this is a result of individuals going into the year with an all-or-nothing approach to their resolutions. We start out the year no-nonsense- I will have one cup of coffee every morning- period. Then as the days go by our motivation begins to slip- okay, a second cup this morning isn’t going to kill me! And suddenly we’ve all but forgotten about our resolutions and are back to downing countless cups of coffee or whatever your Achilles’ heel habit might be. (This can’t just be me!)
To prevent a complete regression into old habits (because you’ve worked so hard these past two weeks) I suggest a two-week personal goal check. Take out a journal or open a file on your computer and write down all of the things you’ve accomplished so far, as well as any draw-backs you’ve had. Then write down your goals for the remainder of the year. You can repeat this process every time you feel yourself starting to lose motivation throughout the year. This might seem silly, but it really helps you to gain perspective. A positive attitude is the first step to manifesting new habits.
Creating new habits is very difficult, especially as we get older. But it’s important to forgive ourselves for any slips! These are habits we want to carry through the rest of our lives, and mistakes are expected! Just because you didn’t have a perfect start to your year doesn’t mean you can’t have an awesome ending- you have your whole life to reap the benefits of achieving your goals.
Making mistakes after the New Year doesn’t mean the rest of the year will be the same- time is a social construct anyway.