Starting Over - Jacob Writes On
by jacob | Jul 25, 2021 | Chit Chat | 0 comments
What is it about Mondays that makes us think “Monday is when I start [insert long task here]”?
I’m certainly not innocent in any of this. I’ve lost track of how many times I said I was going to start on Monday. Not that I was tracking how many times. I tried setting goals most people set, like going to the gym more, taking up a hobby, starting saving money, etc. If any of those had worked out up to this point, I don’t think I would be sitting here writing this blog post.
Why is it we say we’re going to do these things starting on Monday?
As it turns out, it’s what is called the “the fresh start effect.”
Basically, we’re more motivated and empowered to go after our goals when we feel things like past failures are put behind us and our future success is ahead of us.
Sometimes we don’t get it right the first few times so we once again “start fresh” on the following Monday. But when we accomplish what we set out for these then become “temporal landmarks.” Temporal Landmarks make it easier for us to mentally separate from our past imperfections and failures.
That’s why I’m comfortable with setting some new goals for this week. Maybe I’ll take these goals week-by-week for the next 12 months instead of focusing on the entire year.
Some of my goals for the next 12 months include going back to the gym more – maybe 3 days a week, writing at least ten pages worth of content per week, maybe finally get that gastroscopy done. Some others include learning to express myself more and reading more often.
Starting over isn’t so bad when you think about it.
Life is all about growing. And not all of that growth will be comfortable.
But the great thing about it is how better off we are because we allowed ourselves to grow.
So don’t give up, my friends. Better things are coming.