New Years Resolution Project

Nurturing Delusions

News Years parties are filled with small talk of long-term self-improvement that will only see short term results. We all know the cliches; “I’m going to get in shape” and “I’m going to quit enter_some_bad_habit_here“. Most of us entertain the conversations with low expectations knowing the odds are against true success, but we genuinely wish the best of luck. And that’s exactly what’s needed; luck, because most of these earnest moments of dedication to self-improvement completely fail before February. Have you ever asked yourself why?

Modern society teaches us from childhood that we can do anything and be anything we want as long as we put our minds to it and believe in ourselves. Unfortunately, this is a feel-good, warm and fuzzy lie. If it weren’t a lie then honest self-evaluation and genuine intent would be enough to change peoples lives every New Years, but we all know from personal experience that it doesn’t actually work that way in the real world.

So what’s missing? What does it take to actually make a life altering change? The answer lies in the logistics of human nature. I believe most people’s New Years resolutions fail because they overwhelm themselves. The changes they are attempting to form into an automatic behavior are simply too grand. Because of this they loose all hope (the foundation of motivation) the first time they slip-up and their delusions implode. To resolve this issue we need only to reject the overly socialized teachings of modern society and look to nature for an answer.

The Nature of Habits

Despite what your high school science teacher told you, all habits are not formed after 21 days of consistent repetition. Newer research suggests what seems to be common sense; if a change is difficult for you it will require a longer period of repetition before that behavior becomes automatic. So, dedicating yourself to something simple like drinking a glass of water every day will take less time to become a habit than waking up early every morning to run a mile before breakfast. That’s the bad news if you have higher aspirations than drinking more water. The good news is that consistent repetition is not paramount, meaning that you can miss a day and it won’t affect your progress.

A recent study on the formation of habits conducted by researchers at University College London (UCL) found that there is no set amount of time for a habit to form. It all depends on how difficult the change is for each individual. Difficulty is then measured by a combination of self-control, strength of will, determination, resistance to the change, and your biological tendency towards adaptation (aka: your genetics) – meaning the rate at which your brain is physically capable of developing and supporting new neural pathways. Modern society doesn’t like to recognize that anyone has a genetic advantage over another person. Instead they want you to believe that everyone is on a level paying field so that life can be “fair”, but this simply is not true. Get over it.

My Self-Improvement Goals for 2012

With the above in mind I decided to take on several life changes of my own in 2012. My plan recognizes that failure comes in the form of a “burn out” and is most often a direct result of mammoth goals that would take Herculean self-control to maintain. Rather than expecting to eat the entire elephant in one bite on January 1st, I will be spending 30 days at a time to focus on a smaller goal that is worthwhile in and of itself. Once I have formed the new desired habit, I will continue it into the following months and for the rest of my life.

I know that it will not take a full 30 days for me to reach automaticity for some of my smaller goals and some will take much longer than 30 days. I’m still sticking to a general “one month each” approach to give my plan structure and to help me measure my progress. Plus, if I reach automaticity before the end of the month then I can take a breather from the stress associated with making yourself do something that your body or mind is resisting, and if I have not reached automaticity then at least I will have 30 days of practice before taking on an additional challenge. After all, while the research suggests that skipping single days isn’t detrimental in the long-term, it’s those early repetitions that give us the greatest boost in automaticity.

Another common reason for the failure of New Years resolutions is the old “out of site – out of mind” principle. For this reason I will be documenting my monthly challenges on this blog as a way to keep myself actively involved. Here is a general blueprint of my goals for 2012.

NYRP Blueprint

I am referring to my plan as the New Years Resolution Project, or NYRP (pronounced “nerp”). This outline is not written in stone. I may change my future goals based on my current and past performance. I am also coordinating my efforts with Brianne’s NYRP timeline.