Habit formation for New Year's resolutions

As we near the end of the year the New Year's resolutions are on the list for many people. But we frequently fail to achieve them. We have all heard of many ways to overcome the failure of our resolutions. From forming a habit with 21 consecutive days before they become a habit. Writing the goal down. Not telling others of your goals. So many things to do and so many ways to do it.

But I am going to talk of my own observations of patterns of failures and achievements. The one that has stuck with me more than anything is the reward circuitry of our brains and how it has been hijacked by our diet. The food we eat is rewarding us without achieving anything towards the goals we set before us.

I know that this may seem strange or far less important than it is but if we can eat something and achieve a sense of reward then we are likely to do that. And our modern diet is so full of foods that induce the reward circuit.

So if we are to achieve these goals, I do recommend that you write them down, that you tell no one, and that you change your diet. If you can eat a diet more focused upon the healthy food rather than satisfying your urge for reward then you will have overcome the greatest challenge that is holding you back from achieving your perfect image of self.

A bit askew from the normal view of brute force habit formation of repetition but almost certainly a more accurate way to achieve them.