Meißen: The thing with the good intentions |Sächsische.de

With this wonderful quote from the American author Mark Twain we want to start "The thing with good intentions".

Because who doesn't know it. At the turn of the year, one resolves to improve the little vices and shortcomings of the past year: "From now on I'll change that.". The good intentions. But breaking old habits is not easy.

The definition of "intention": conscious intention, determination, a firm intention. The decision.

Basically, the "good intentions" are a great thing, as it shows us that we are dealing with ourselves in order to improve them. It has a lot to do with self-motivation to get rid of the weaker self that has made itself so comfortable in your head. The enthusiasm phase is in full swing and the first step, taking the sports shoes out of the closet and dusting them off, is still easy. Now comes the impulse to put on the shoes in order to devote oneself to intensive sporting activities. From now on, the self-motivation sets in, not just to run around the block, but to do at least 30 minutes of easy running training.

But how do I manage that every day?

People have their habits, which manifest themselves more and more over time - whether consciously or unconsciously. Bad habits are often the hardest to change. But! It is possible. You only have to force yourself to adopt the new habits until you do it automatically. It actually sounds relatively simple. Psychologists speak of a "habituation period" of at least 3 weeks.

The resolution should suit you

Climbing Mount Everrest can certainly be a goal, but does that also suit you? A resolution should suit you, it should also be feasible and manageable. Don't follow other people's resolutions, set your own achievable resolutions. Formulate clear resolutions for yourself and do not make them too general. "I want to lose weight" sounds too general, but "I want to lose 5 kg" is a clearly defined and, above all, achievable goal that you won't easily fail to achieve.

Don't run a marathon, start with short daily walks. Or instead of a bag of gummy bears, eat only 5 pieces in the evening. Even with smaller steps you can reach your goals.

Achieving a goal

These simple tricks can also be used to outwit the head machine. If we have achieved a small partial victory in one of our resolutions, we have a good feeling and a first sense of achievement. This is how we are breaking new ground in 2022, strengthened and full of motivation.