5 Reasons Why We Don’t Stick to Things
We know that we should exercise more, but we don’t. Why? A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that about half of us give up on our resolutions because we’re not motivated enough.
Below are the 5 reasons why we don’t stick to things.
#1. We don’t take it seriously
Most of the time, we just make a halfhearted commitment to anything, much like being in a half-hearted relationship.
You’ll be out of it eventually if you make that kind of commitment.
- Write it down.
- Make a plan, even if it’s just a short one.
- Commit to someone else.
- Set up reminders.
#2. We just forget
We make a firm commitment to ourselves to meditate every day. Then comes the morning, and we simply forget.
We remember later, but we’d too busy at the time. We forget again the next morning.
- Put a reminder note on your wall
- Put reminders on your phone and PC
Just make sure that you see it when the time comes.
#3. We run from discomfort
When the exercise habit (or meditation) gets uncomfortable, we stop enjoying it, and make up excuses to put it off.
Begin to appreciate this practice opportunity, viewing it as a beautiful feeling of getting better at something, of learning and finding a way to be uncomfortable.
#4. Instant gratification
When we sense the need for instant satisfaction and frequent stimulation, we can lose motivation to pursue goals that don’t yield immediate results.
- Short-term gratification will sabotage your long-term goals.
If you keep putting off your idea, remind yourself of the positive rewards you’ll experience if you get started.
#5. We renegotiate
We say we’re going to do something, but when the time comes, we’re overcome with temptation, discomfort, and uncertainty.
So we begin to say,
“Well, I’ll still do it, but in 5 minutes after || check my messages.”
The practice of renegotiating with ourselves is one of the most damaging to the habit of self-discipline and gaining faith in ourselves.
Source: successtheory.co
