The tradition of new year’s resolutions survives because we like the idea of getting a fresh start. But new year’s resolutions are hard, as John Oliver recently pointed out. It’s completely understandable if you get to the end of the day and want to give up on a resolution. In fact, that’s perfectly fine as long as the next day you look for a new angle and try again.
The main reason resolutions are so hard is that we have convinced ourselves that we already know what we need to do. In practical terms, there is always something we need to know that we don’t know, something that’s a necessary part of what we’re trying to do. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to find the answers you need.
To take perhaps the most cliched example possible, you might resolve to get in shape by working out several times a week. Traditionally, this resolution falls by the wayside when you get to a day when you don’t feel like working out. You can use your sorry unmotivated ass as the excuse for your failed resolution, or you can look up how to work out when you don’t feel like it. Everyone has days when they don’t feel like working out, so what do they do? If you search YouTube, you can find more than 100 answers, including these:
- Saeed Mobayed - Motivation to Workout When You Don't Feel Like It (Real Talks)
- Leah Mackenzie - My Number One Tip If You DON'T feel like working out!
- Sprint Martial Arts - How to exercise when you don't feel like it!
Usually rescuing a resolution is as simple as doing what other people have done when they faced the same challenge. You may be able to find the answer you need with a few minutes of searching.
