6 Great Reasons to Quit Your Resolution
Or never make one in the first place.
Are we ready to admit to ourselves and each other that resolutions are a trap? It’s a well-documented reality that most people’s resolutions are history by February, yet we all play along with the charade, parroting our resolutions to each other in polite conversation. Are we all just quitters with no willpower, or is there something else going on? In preparation for our first-ever virtual event, we decided to look into what makes resolutions so hard to stick to.
1. Our brains aren’t cut out for it
The four horsemen of resolution are complication, distance, difficulty and abstractness. We take something we already struggle with and then set a vague intention around a faraway outcome. This is akin to setting the resolution “go somewhere nice” and just getting in the car and driving. You don’t know where you’ll end up, and there’s a high likelihood that you’ll run out of gas.
2. Because the stress of resolutions makes us run for cover
The act of setting a resolution, paradoxically, makes us less likely to do the thing we set out to do in the first place. Our monkey minds have evolved to reduce the cognitive load of decision-making, bringing us such great human innovations like fire, agriculture, and Tinder. When we focus on the uncertain end picture instead of small steps, we’re more likely to flee to the comfort of a cozy blanket or bad habit.
3. Because January sucks
After the competitive eating, drinking and socializing of December, just getting back to normal is a feat in and of itself. How are you going to add new elements to your routine when you in fact don’t even remember your routine? Have you even had a vegetable since November? Get real!
4. Because you’re so much more than a “Before”
Scrolling social media is like dodging a flurry of silver bullets that all promise they will unilaterally fix your life. The myth of instant transformation is intoxicating, but it isn’t real. To keep the fantasy alive, and the purchases flowing, the middle part between before and after is left out. But the middle part is our lives, it’s precious and irreplaceable even when it’s messy, hard work. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with us that can be solved with a new serum, planner, or waist size.
5. Because maybe you don’t actually care about your resolution
Resolutions play to our desire not just to improve, but to be seen trying to improve. This is especially potent for women, who are often charged with the upkeep of their household, their partner, their family and more. You don’t tend to hear the expression “wow, HE really let himself go.”
It’s important to notice, though, that resolutions are often a symbolic substitute for what we really want: deeper connections like love, appreciation, and acknowledgement. Maybe your resolution to keep a tidier home isn’t sticking because you don’t want a tidier home, you want to feel more relaxed and host more often. What would it look like to let the deeper objective be your guide, rather than a superficial outcome?
6. Let gratitude be your guide: Join us at our upcoming event
The pressures to change ourselves, and make ourselves worthy of what we want, are LOUD. With conscious practice, you can make your authentic desires, and your inherent worthiness, louder. Instead of playing the resolution game this year, our team is embracing the good that’s already there by building and strengthening a gratitude practice.
We’ve decided to extend the invite your way, and hope you can join us to set intentions for a brighter year ahead.
Practical Gratitude: Virtual Coaching Session
Uncover sustainable strategies to set authentic intentions for the year ahead with the fierce multi-talent Kate Voltan from Get2Mindset coaching. Say goodbye to resolutions and hello to real, joyful growth.