So how are your resolutions going? By some estimates, an average of 80% of people give up on their resolutions by the second week of February.
What should we do when our motivation begins to tank? One way is to notice when you fall into the trap of all-or-nothing thinking.
Are you viewing your progress as on track or off track? Defining your days as good days or bad days?
Are you spinning in regret about the times you didn’t keep your promise to yourself? Didn’t follow through on working on that new habit?
The key is to not view the times we fall short of our goal as evidence that we won’t be able to change, that change is just too hard, and it’s never going to work.
It’s not a game of perfection, it’s a game of progress.
Were you successful a couple of times this week? That’s progress.
What if it’s not just the successful days that move you toward the goal, but also the failures?
What if you viewed the times you ‘failed’ as the most data-rich source we have for figuring out how to improve tomorrow?
Keeping an experimental attitude toward figuring out what works and what doesn’t is one of the most important tools to have when it comes to habit change.
Try keeping your mind open and being curious about your mistakes instead of regretting them or judging yourself for getting it wrong. Try treating it like it’s a game.
Figuring out how to win the game is way more fun, and curiosity is much more motivating than regret.
Looking back, what did you notice about the last time your motivation began to slip?