Did you make a New Year's Resolution this year?
Bad news: most resolutions don't last.
Strava, a social media app for athletes, studied over 31 million people in 2020 and determined that most resolutions started falling apart by January 12. Several other studies show another large drop in commitment to these resolutions at the beginning of February.
The old quote states, "It takes 21 days to build a habit," but the European Journal of Social Psychology found that it takes, on average, 66 days to form a habit. "On average" is important in that sentence, because the individuals in the study actually took anywhere from 18 to 254 days to make it stick.
Those numbers can be really disheartening, but what can we do about it?
The answer lies with the 2006 Indianapolis Colts.
That NFL team coached by Hall of Famer, Tony Dungy, and lead on the field by soon-to-be Hall of Famer Peyton Manning started off the season 9-0, but then things changed. They lost 4 of their next 6 games. In one game, they gave up 375 rushing yards. (If you don't know much about football, that was the second most ever allowed in the modern NFL.)
At this point, some teams might have cumbled and focused on their mistakes, but not this team. They stayed committed to their goal and to each other. They won their last regular season game, before starting their playoff run which culminated in winning Super Bowl 41 in Miami on February 7, 2007.
So let me ask, how are you doing with your resolution? Are you undefeated so far? Have you had any losses? The game isn't over unless you quit.
University of Scranton psychology professor John C. Norcross study people who successfully kept their resolutions for at least 2 years. 53% slipped up at least once with the average number of "losses" being 14.
No team in the NFL, NBA, MLB, or NHL has ever gone undefeated on their way to winning a championship. There are always going to be bumps in the road, but keep driving.