Einstein on sticking with your New Year's Resolutions

I love this quotation:

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

--Albert Einstein

This morning I spent a couple hours on the slopes with one of my skiing students.  It was our first session of the season and he had been practicing on his own for the last few weeks.  His skiing was solid, but there were a couple small things his body had "forgotten" since last year.

In essence, his body had fallen back on its old, and comfortable, habits.  Does that sound familiar?  What could be more easy than slipping back into well worn grooves made by our old habits and former skill patterns?

Even after forming new grooves on top of the old over the course of last year's season, the pre-existing grooves were still there waiting.  And the big problem is, old grooves feel good!

So unless you have someone looking in on you from time to time, it is pretty tough to avoid those old grooves.  You may fall into them and not even know it.  You may still think you are doing the right thing.

What can you do to avoid Einstein's definition of insanity?  Here are a couple strategies:

1. Get a coach: This morning, in the space of a couple runs down the hill I helped my student figure out for himself which grooves he had lost and which he had fallen back on.  Having a good coach (or even a good training partner, confidant or sounding board) can help you keep on top of your new habits.
2. Keep a journal: Writing everything down allows you to go back when progress slows and see what has changed.  Maybe when you first changed your nutritional approach you didn't load your salad up with 10 oz of cheese, but now you do.  You might not pick that up if you don't keep a record of these things.  Peter Drucker has said that "What gets measured gets managed" (or accomplished)...
3. Be a stickler for rules: At least in the beginning, it is important to be extremely vigilant in sticking to whatever habits, patterns or rules you dictate for yourself.  It is said that three weeks of a new behavior is enough to start laying a new groove.  It's a good start, but it takes months before you start to wear away the ridges of the old groove...

We are in the days of great headiness, when resolutions are made and intentions are strong!  It is easy to start something new and embrace new habits.  But make sure you set yourself up with tools to help you recognize the path you are on and make the necessary adjustments along the way.

Happy New Year!

Adam

Comments

[Ken Johnson]

Quote: "Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim." [George Santayana]

[Adam Steer]

Ken - Thanks for the quotation!

[Martin Berkhan]

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

A great quote. Used the very same in a recent blog post, one of the topics being people using the same diet and training strategies while expecting a different result.