More sports.
Eating healthier.
Stop smoking.
Taking more time for yourself.
Often wrongly hit out and then quickly say sorry.
All good intentions. Three-quarters of Dutch people make them for the new year. Quite a lot of people. But of all the nice intentions, 92% fail%. Often even before it's 1 March.
Why do New Year's resolutions usually fail?
We don't like change very much. Something you always enjoyed doing is suddenly no longer allowed. By yourself.
It becomes really difficult if the behaviour is a habit.
A cigarette after dinner.
Stroopwafel with coffee.
Scrolling endlessly through your social media.
Breaking a habit and learning new behaviour to replace it takes a lot of effort and willpower. It's therefore not surprising that your intentions usually fail.
And the beauty of it is that we always have ourselves to rationalise our failure.
‘Sports are just really boring, so it makes sense that I don't do them. Besides, you can get injured doing them.’
‘It's just in our family that we put on weight a bit faster. It's genetically determined.’
‘One cigarette can't hurt, can it? I've managed for 3 days without smoking.’
It's beautiful how you can fool yourself with these kinds of excuses.
Why do some people succeed?
Tens of thousands of people do manage to stick to their resolutions. Is there a trick or a strategy that helps?
I don't think so.
If only 8% of good intentions are actually carried out, that must be by people who are wired differently than I am.
That's why I love driving. When I accelerate, I know for sure I'll go faster. When I brake, I'll slow down. The accelerator and brake pedals of my motivation are a lot spongier. You never quite know if I'll exercise more or eat or drink less.
Sometimes I think: I wish I had a gym. Lots of sign-ups in January, nothing to do in March.
This morning on Belgian radio, I heard: ‘There are few vitamins in cake. That's why you should eat so much of it.’ There go your good intentions.
Wat zijn jouw goede voornemens?
I've decided to stop making resolutions. Then at least I'll be among the 8% who succeed.
If I can help you tidy your house, you can choose a bus from here: Tidy up the mess.
Finally, I wish you a happy and healthy 2023, even if your New Year's resolutions have already failed.
