From Simon Ward, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, UK
Congratulations to Grace Wade for succeeding in her New Year’s resolution to run a half-marathon last year.
I’m a little sceptical about some of the claims derived from countless PR-fodder surveys about New Year’s resolutions, but it does seem to ring true that our tradition of setting big, long-term goals at the start of January isn’t always that effective (10 January, p 43).
Perhaps it is just a case of different approaches working for different people? For what it’s worth, my current favourite approach is the Tiny Experiments method developed by neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff: ditch linear goals, and treat life more like a science experiment. Develop a hypothesis, put it to the test, evaluate the results, adapt and go again. Essentially, embrace trial and error, and don’t feel bad about the failures — it’s all valuable data!
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