Can you believe that April is almost over?
And, that new 2025 us that we had hoped for ourselves? Maybe it’s smugly smirking at you in the mirror!
If so, well done!
new year, new farce
However, it’s a true cosmic joke that our brains tend to be overly optimistic.
It’s not your fault, it’s just evolution.
Also, evolution has helped us to be highly motivated by a little social pressure.
And I often use it to get myself back on track.
It’s part of the effectiveness behind having a gym buddy. If you’re like me, it’s tough to start exercising. However, if you know you have someone at the gym, and you know that someone is going to be pissed if you don’t show up, then you’re more likely to at least show up.
And then, you don’t want to look lazy in front of them, so you do your exercise. They are likely thinking the same thing!
Great, huh?
Also, if you’ve ever heard the term accountability group, accountability partners or accountability buddies, this is the core of the motivating force:
We may be willing to let ourselves slide, but we don’t want to let someone else down.
We don’t want to show up and say “I didn’t do that thing I said I’d do and I don’t have a good reason.”
So, if you’re feeling a little bit down about where you thought you would be at this time of the year, it’s not your fault. It’s too easy to fall off the wagon when there’s no one else relying on you to get the wagon to the destination.
However, when there are people watching you drag that beast, metre by metre, even when it looks like a slog, they get motivated to stay on their wagons too.
And before I break this analogy any further, let me tell you, that the journey can be made easier with good company.
takeaways
So, if that sounds interesting to you, here’s what I propose:
- Take an honest look at your progress on your goals this year
- Ask “Are these still important to me?”
- If not, discard them. Things change! No one said you need to wait for 2026 to start again.
- But if it’s still important to you, and you’d like to be further down the road, make a pact with a trusted friend to make a little bit of progress every week and share your wins and hard-won lessons with them.
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