The New Year's resolution. A time in our lives when the world collectively manages to fail at a personal goal every year. It takes a certain amount of unity to be able universally to agree to not do anything productive for the year. It can seem daunting at first, but the road to failure is far easier than most of us realise. I’ve taken the time to compile some of the tips and tricks that I’ve witnessed at a local Sunbury gym. 

 

Tip 1: Overestimate your capabilities

 

Overestimation is one of the biggest stepping stones for failure. Oftentimes by setting unrealistically large goals when just starting out a new habit, one is guaranteed to fail. A goal like working out 4-5 times a week is far too draining on one’s willpower. It’s a sure-fire way to end your resolution, as it would be impossible to keep up with your own expectations. 

 

Tip 2: Failure ends resolutions

 

It’s important to understand that a single failure undermines any progress that you have made. You shouldn’t factor in any of the time that you may have already put into improving yourself. By focusing on your failures, rather than taking things one step at a time, you can quickly demoralise yourself, which stops progress. 

 

Tip 3: Realise that New Year is the only time you can improve yourself. 

 

I spoke to a regular at the local gym, and he explained how many people stop coming to the gym after January. The rush of the New Year, along with a sudden spurt of motivation ends quickly after the first month. Just a few days before the start of 2022, gyms were extremely free at all hours; nowadays almost impossible to find free spaces and equipment to work out. In fact, at 7 pm in December around 15 - 20 people would go, however, this has changed to   90 - 100 people at the exact same time. It begs the question of wondering why people are waiting till January, and not taking advantage of the free space for the rest of the year. Once even a minor setback takes place, people find it far easier to wait till the next year to work on themselves. By allowing this mentality to take over, it allows for rapid progress in the steps towards failure. 


 

As we progress into the next 11 months of the year, understanding the impact of these mental blocks on our ability to succeed in our goals, is absolutely essential. Whether one is pushing to eat healthier, exercise more, or take up a new hobby, creating a realistic plan with smaller goals is a far better way to build motivation and improve oneself.