Eat your pancakes, then plan your resolution. Why Lent has all the psychological ingredients for success.
If you want to successfully make a change in your life then try it over the next 40 days.
Give up just one thing. To succeed at making a change we need focus. As Alexander Graham Bell wrote “concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought into focus”.
Have a clear end in sight, and a reward. Because Lent is time limited, 40 days, we can see the end and can count our success towards the goal. Imagine how good you will feel on Easter Sunday?
And 40 days is a perfect length. Neuropsychologists at UCL found that it took between 30 and 70 days of focused practice to change a habit. Which is often why people continue on after Lent, making their change a new and positive part of themselves.
Finally to make success a certainty, remember to think through the obstacles you may face and have a plan for overcoming them (WOOP – Gabriele Oettingen).
My resolution? CharacterScope (https://www.thethinkingpartnership.com/into-action/characterscope/) tells me that to be the best leader I can be I need to be braver. Being brave for me is putting my thoughts into writing – here goes!