It’s never too late to form new habits. Every day, we aim to improve ourselves and the most effective way is by changing our habits. However, it can be discouraging when we don’t see the results we expected from these new habits. There’s only so far your willpower can get you until you give up on your goals. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, save money, or have better relationships, here are some mistakes that make new habits fail.
- Relying On Self-Discipline
Self-discipline is short-lived when it comes to new habits. Since it’s something foreign, it’s harder to keep up with this habit solely based on self-discipline. Try to create repetitive patterns instead that will make the habit feel more natural over time. Additionally, making it enjoyable helps develop a genuine interest in the activity. Here is how you can Get A Handle On Self-Discipline
- Starting Big
We tend to believe we can handle more than we actually can. As such, most people start new habits with big plans instead of gradually building up to bigger things. This ends up seeming harder than it is which makes them quit as soon as they start. The best way to start a new habit is to make it as simple as possible. If you’re planning on starting a fitness journey, don’t jump straight into the gym. Start with light exercises in the house then eventually join a gym.
- Focusing On The Short Term
Most of us want to see results as soon as we pick up new habits. While it’s important to know why you’re starting this new habit, focusing on the short term makes you miss out on the journey. Additionally, this makes you seek instant gratification which, in most cases, doesn’t happen causing us to give up. You can instead visualize your growth into a better version of yourself.
How To Stick To Your Goals In The Coming Year
- Lacking Commitment
Starting new habits halfheartedly is the perfect recipe for failure. You need to commit yourself to the new experience even if it feels uncomfortable. Some habits, such as learning a new language, require a significant amount of your time which most people find difficult to offer. To make such habits work, focus on the number of times you practice instead of the hours you spend on it.
- Making It Private
Sharing your new habits with others makes you accountable for them. As such the people around you can act as a reminder if you slack of. This makes it harder to quit whenever you feel things aren’t going your way. It also feels rewarding when you accomplish something that other people are aware of. Try to involve your close friend and relatives in your plans.
- Procrastinating
Procrastination is the biggest dream killer, big or small. It’s easy to spend a lot of time talking about picking up new habits instead of doing them. This is counter-productive since the more you procrastinate, the more you’ll talk yourself out of it. If you need to do research and prepare, try to take at most two days.
How To Stop Sabotaging Yourself
- Beating Yourself Up
When starting new habits, we all have high expectations of how it will go. However, nobody really thinks about what happens if we don’t get the results we expected. More often than not, we’ll fail the first time we try something. Therefore, you should be prepared to start again every time you mess up keeping in mind what you did wrong.
