We are in good company
Muse #353 - you ain't alone
You are not alone. We are not alone. Our struggles are universal. I read this recent article on The Atlantic on the struggles with motivation, establishing and maintaining, sustaining habits, and the challenges around it. We are on Jan 9 and most likely 90% of new year’s resolutions have possibly already fallen off to the way-side.
The article talks about two types of self-control. Trait self-control and behavioral self-control. And these two types contribute to having some control over the forming and sustaining in the repetitiveness of habits. Some people are able to use these some of the time to make some things work for them, but not other things. Strange is the way we humans are built. And how our motivations work.
But one thing is certain. You are not alone. So, don’t beat yourself much.
My theory is different. Find things that you enjoy doing. Keep doing them. As you enjoy them more, you will do them more. And whether it be a trait or behavior, they will come. And for those things that one doesn’t enjoy doing - find a way to endure it, delegate it, put up with it, get away with it with the minimum if they got to be done. What else is the choice? Or is there?
Additional reading:
You Can’t Simply Decide to Be a Different Person - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2022/01/self-control-habit-new-years-resolutions/621200/