Since today is my 55th birthday I got to thinking about what I accomplished last year and what things I would like to put in place to accomplish in this coming year. I discovered that there are best times to start a new personal commitment to ensure higher success rates?
Commitments that begin on dates that we associate as a fresh start are more likely to succeed than starting on just a random date. It is as much about a fresh start as an ending date to leave old habits behind. New Year’s is a date we most associate with a fresh start and it is why we make New Year’s resolutions. However, one’s birthday is equally associated with a fresh start.
There are a few other defined start and end periods that make good times to start something new such as a new month or new season like spring. Since holidays are often a license to binge or slack off, the first day back to work after a holiday is another good day to leave the past behind and embark on a new journey. If you want to maximize your chances of success, pick a date that can be clearly identified as a new beginning.
When you begin a new program, do you pick your start date to coincide with dates we naturally associated with a fresh start to improve your likelihood of success?
