What is said has to happen
No time right now?
Well-intentioned resolutions come with the New Year. And the big speeches with the resolutions. But what is said has to happen. A comment.
There it is again, the time of good intentions. At the beginning of the New Year we always take on something supposedly big, only to get back to the old routine after a few weeks. Studies show that only 30 percent of resolutions have a realistic chance of becoming permanent. The first people willing to change give up their plans after just three weeks. After half a year, only half are there. That is deeply human. Aristotle reported about it 2,000 years ago and declared that virtues can only be developed through constant practice. Those who are not willing enough to change will fall back into their old behavior in no time. Unfortunately, it takes a while to establish new habits. One and only: It is possible if you want to!
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Good resolutions: only those who want can change something
In fact, the human brain is able to constantly reprogram itself well into old age. Networking patterns that seem to be lashed down and are based on experience can be superimposed by new networks. From a purely biological point of view, the good intentions also have a good chance of moving on to everyday life. The problem lies elsewhere in this respect – and many don’t like to read it: If we’re being completely honest, we often don’t want to change anything. Because if we really want it, we would just do it. Instead, we tell ourselves: “You have to!” It starts in the private sphere: “You should do more sport, you don’t get younger.” And it goes right up to the professional level: “We’d have to think a lot more ‘out of the box’. We’re too stuck. “
By the way, I deliberately speak of “we”, because of course I’ve already decided on one or the other thing privately and professionally and then let it slide again. The fact that, as a social smoker at parties, I am able to kill a box in the evening is not only bad for my health, the hangover the day after is usually twice as hard. What did I swear to myself to just let the truck stay there. Especially since I usually never take up a cigarette in everyday life. And from a professional point of view, I’ve often sworn to myself that I would contribute a specialist article to every print edition of our company. In the end, it’s only two to three instead of four contributions a year. It is actually quite clear that both resolutions fail.
“If I wanted to, I would just do it. I once expressed other resolutions and have cultivated them to this day. “
Who am I kidding: I love to stand nonchalantly at a party with a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other and philosophize about life. And I hate having to chase the print deadline every time because other tasks keep me from fully immersing myself in the article. The fact that both resolutions do not work is simply due to the fact that they are not important enough to me. I could put a pretzel stick in my mouth instead of a butt. And I could just leave everything behind during the print time and cut all channels around me. But do I want that? No i don’t want it. If I wanted to, I would just do it. I made other resolutions once and cultivated them directly.
That’s why this time annoys me a little when the people around me are swinging their big speeches again. When they talk loudly about their new running shoes, which in a few weeks’ time will just be back in the corner. If you decide to quit your tiresome job so you don’t feel like going through the time-consuming application process. Or when the great cultural change is conjured up again by the employer, which then does not come because the customer or, alternatively, the market is unfortunately not yet ready for it. Here is a selection of excuses that come up!
- “Ah, yes, stupid. Unfortunately something came up! “
- “No, today is not possible! Ask me again tomorrow “
- “Unfortunately that is not possible, my hands are tied!”
- “That can’t be scaled!”
- “[You name it!]”
My plea in this respect: If there is already a lot of talk about resolutions, then please really do it with passion and the one hundred percent will to change. Simply schedule the 30 minutes of running training on Tuesday and Thursday in the calendar before or after work. For a dream job you have to do something, so do your research instead of bingewatching the next Netflix series. And if an employer wants his employees to think “out of the box”, then he must also create space for creative solutions and, above all, be prepared not to block new impulses in the first or last instance because it becomes uncomfortable. When something is said, you have to tackle it. And if you are not ready to do that, you should perhaps first make your resolutions with yourself.
By the way, you might also be interested in this post: Bye, 2020. Hello, 2021! Do you have New Year’s resolutions with you? These eleven smartphone apps will help you achieve your goals. Also read: Smoke-Free, Save Money, Lose 5 Kilos: The Best Apps for New Year’s Resolutions
