It is only human to have periods of reflection and resetting. Many times these periods are correlating to important dates that can be both personal as well as shared. Take the beginning of a New Year for instance – perhaps, setting short term goals and hanging all your hopes on making definite changes around the beginning of the New Year is common. We ask ourselves, with one month past new years, are New Year’s resolutions doomed to fail?
Failed New Years resolutions? You are not alone!
If quitting smoking was your 2020 New Years resolution, I hope you dont have a cigarette dangling from your mouth as you read this. If it was doing more Yoga, being fitter, having a stronger grasp on your mind and body – How far along are you? It’s not just you. As January ends, so does most of the initial enthusiasm for resolutions made as we enter the new year, giving up our annual commitment to ourselves. Health-related resolutions top worldwide lists as the number one thing people want to work on with 40.9% of guys and 37.8% of girls aiming to get healthy. We as a generation might be more obsessed with looking good compared to our predecessors – no surprise there!
Yoga has had quite a transformation in recent years. What was initially perceived only as a means to go down a spiritual path, met with science & medicine and became a disciplinary system to unite the mind and body and allow it to reach new heights of exploration within one‘s self. 55 million people will practice yoga by 2020 according to forecasts.
We entered 2019 ready to bring Yoga to people who have never experienced it before and we are seriously amazed at how far we have come. We wanted Yoga to become a tool for constant improvement, For 2020 we decided on new features, new programs, and new communication with all hands on deck. Why? Because we believe in the true and immense power of Yoga as a tool for all Athletes from all sports.
All that is fine New Years resolutions fail 80% of times according to U.S. News & World Report, and most lose their resolve by mid-February. There goes looking good! When January ends and that initial enthusiasm for New Years resolutions fades, many people give up. Studies even show that 6 in 10 fail to stick to the resolutions they made. To make sure you’re one of the glorious 4 who don’t, we’ve put together some bullet-proof strategies to help you achieve success.
Put aside all shenanigans – Are you ready to start making changes that stick? Based on psychology and human behavior, here is how you can fully motivate yourself to become a Better Athlete.
1. Define a greater purpose
Most of the time our goals are defined by things we want to accomplish but is it a holistic approach? Wanting to lose more weight or become more mobile seems simple enough right? But step back for a moment and try to think why you need to do this. Is it that losing weight will bring you closer to being a healthier, fitter version of yourself? Or will it bring you closer to self-actualization? Will being more mobile or flexible aid you in improving your overall performance?
Prioritize balance, movement and fueling your body to reach its ultimate goal is what the greater purpose should be. Accordingly to studies of human psychology goals that reflect an individual’s interests and personal values bring about a greater sense of readiness to change behaviors and develop habits.
Dig deep and think about what greater purpose your small goals will help you achieve. Doing yoga 3 times a week will help you in what way?
2. Go Slow but steady
Having over the top goals and premeditation that you want it all and you want it now may seem like a good idea. It may also make you feel ambitious. But, according to top behavioral scientists, this is precisely the reason why most resolutions fail. The human mind is designed to resist change that’s why it’s so hard to make lasting changes. In order for your mind to not snap back into submission, you must go slow but steady. Make little changes every day. The small changes you make every day have a greater chance of sticking as habits compared to making big changes like cold quitting a habit you have had for a long time.
Really think about what a smart and slow goal for you is. Training with Skill Yoga every day? Maybe not. Setting training days to 3 times a week so the app reminds you to stick to your goal? Excellent idea!
3. Hold yourself accountable!
Upon failure, we are always quick to blame it. Thinking you wanted to stop eating meat but then couldn’t resist yourself because everybody else doing it. This puts the blame on those around you. Said we would do Yoga 3 times a week but did not and blamed it on a friend’s birthday, the weather or something else that’s unrelated? Stop! The first step to making changes that stick is to hold yourself accountable when you go awry. Recent research indicates that autonomous goal motivation can lead directly to greater goal progress. As individuals exert more effort, they experience less conflict and feel a greater sense of readiness to change their behavior.
Try training with Skill Yoga, if you cannot make sure you dont blame it on somebody else. And if you can, make sure to pat yourself on the back and give us feedback so we also keep improving.
4. Appreciate the journey
With extrinsic motivation, a person tends to do a task or activity because doing so will yield some kind of reward or benefit. Doing something purely for enjoyment or fun makes it an Intrinsic motivation. How you can turn all extrinsic motivations into intrinsic ones is by enjoying the journey. Putting all your eggs in a basket is fine but willing it to the finish line can take a toll. Take it step by step, reward yourself on each step, when you stumble a bit, contemplate.
Even if your purpose here is to reach your toes with 2 months of training or perfect that crow, appreciate each training that helps you in achieving that perfect down-dog, be happy when your plank is properly aligned, be happy when you feel active and fresh after training.
“I think this is a problem with New Years resolutions in general. People feel pressure to have some kind of resolution, but if you don’t have what we call intrinsic motivation — motivation from within to change your behavior — then actually you’re unlikely to follow through”
Benjamin Gardner (KING’S COLLEGE LONDON)
It’s not about the end goal, but it’s about how you get there, how you are feeling when you reach it. Its what you learned about yourself on the way, and how it feels standing at the finish lines, head held high, mind in control and body at its peak level.
“January 1st is just a day in the calendar. You can reset your calendar every day for a fresh start. Go back to the beginning and revisit that first question to remind yourself of the rewards of making the change. Then actually, you’re unlikely to follow through”
Marcelo Campo (HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL, U.S)
What did you think about the blog? Are you interested in this topic and would like to know more or are you looking for something specific out of Skill Yoga’s content? We are still in our developing phase and would love to get your opinion and thoughts in the comment section below. Cheers!