Lose weight, quit smoking, start eating right, drink less alcohol, meditate more … Few people solemnly did not make important promises to themselves on the eve of 2022 – as, indeed, every time on New Year’s Eve. But there are few of those who really keep these promises.
The enthusiasm with which we enter each new year is like fireworks on New Year’s Eve: the fountain of incomparable bright lights that lit up the sky after a loud explosion goes out again. And control over the situation is again in the hands of our inner lazy person. And so – from year to year. However, there is a solution: just take into account a few aspects – and 2022 could be a great year! We read the expert’s advice.
1. Don’t try to solve all the problems at once.
“The biggest mistake you can make is taking on too many things at once,” warns psychologist Mario Schuster, who specializes in optimizing human performance. According to him, if you want to immediately and quit smoking, and eliminate sweets from your diet, and start jogging, you will definitely overload your psyche.
It takes willpower to break old habits. But no one has enough of it. Therefore, if we strive to achieve multiple goals at the same time, our willpower will have to work in several directions at once, and this is not easy. As a result, we will not come to anything. There is nothing wrong with changing a few habits. However, the main thing in this is not to take on everything at once, but to do one after the other, advises Shuster.
2. It is necessary to change something in life with pleasure
So, it’s time to choose a goal on the achievement of which we have to fully focus. But which one to choose? After all, everything that we have in mind for this year is important. The answer is simple: “What we are going to take on should be enjoyable. We need a positive approach to the changes that we want to achieve,” the expert emphasizes.
“I have to quit smoking!” or “I want to quit smoking!”? By ear, these phrases differ only slightly. On the other hand, from a psychological point of view, for the long-term success of a conceived project, it is truly decisive whether we should carry it out or want to.
3. It is important to remain realistic
Those who spent most of their free time on the couch in 2021 and plan to jog for an hour four times a week in 2022 are setting themselves a very daunting task. Most likely not even feasible.
A person who is accustomed to reclining on the couch can be proud of himself if he manages to get up from it at least twice a week to go for a walk or run – even if it only takes half an hour.
“Regularity is more important than duration and intensity,” says psychologist Mario Schuster. The point is to cement the sport as a new habit. If you don’t immediately overload yourself, then you will have a better chance of continuing to enjoy the sport (see point 2), which means that the breakdown can be avoided – and the goal will be achieved.
4. Make sure you have nowhere to go
So, the abstract goal has taken on more or less clear forms. “This is where the moment came when it’s worth sharing your plans with other people,” the psychologist believes. According to him, this will strengthen your motivation. After all, promises that we make to ourselves alone with ourselves are broken more often than those that we proclaim aloud.
5. Motivational hole: in no case should you despair
Maybe this: you mobilize your willpower – and with the onset of 2022 you will realize what you have in mind: for example, you quit smoking and start playing sports. Everything is going according to plan, you are filled with pride in yourself. And suddenly inspiration dries up: apathy holds you down, your new life begins to seem boring and dreary to you, and you no longer see much sense in the need for change. As a result, you lie down on the sofa and take out a cigarette. How to get out of the resulting motivational hole?
“Never judge yourself for this!” – warns Mario Schuster. Excessive remorse can quickly lead to the entire project going down the drain, he said. The possibility and even the likelihood of failure is always present – and this is normal, the psychologist assures.
You should focus on the successes achieved, no matter how insignificant they may seem. It will build your self-esteem, Schuster explains. If you maintain faith in yourself, in the effectiveness of your own actions and in your success, you will not give up so quickly.
6. No plans are better than a plan that will kill you.
Even good intentions can turn out badly – for example, if they integrate into your life with great difficulty, and in the struggle between “want” and “should”, the attitude “should” wins.
If, if we fail, our self-flagellation completely kills our self-esteem, we should understand that even the best intention does not guarantee a good result. Then it’s better to start the new year without making any promises to yourself.
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