The Delulu of Fresh Starts

Time flies when you’re not looking!

I can’t believe 31 days is out of the 366 days in 2024. That leaves us with 335 days, which might seem like a long time, but in reality, it's not.

When the year started 31 days ago, we had a certain resolve to get things done. Reading more books, hitting the gym, drinking water, journaling, or maybe you’re like me, whose goal is to eat consistently.

It's fascinating to witness humans who, despite past setbacks and mistakes, possess the resilience to push forward into a new year, season, or month. Science calls it the Fresh Start Effect. The Fresh Start Effect is a psychological phenomenon where people view new beginnings as an opportunity to distance themselves from past failures and shortcomings. This leads to a psychological reset, resulting in a renewed sense of optimism, self-efficacy, and motivation.

New Year, New Behaviours

New House, New Furnishings

New Job, New Outfits

New Country, New Friends

New Week, New Habits

By mentally compartmentalizing our past mistakes, we can experience a psychological reset, leading to renewed optimism, self-efficacy, and motivation. The feeling of starting over nudges us towards more goal-driven behaviors.

Loosely put, our mind does mental math where it calculates that the “firsts” are the next best time to tackle goals, especially when we’ve achieved failure in other parts of our lives. So the person who ate fufu by 9 p.m. on December 31st will be a new person by January 1st. Or the impulsive spender is born again on the 1st of February. Or maybe the chronic latecomer will miraculously change by Monday. It must be delulu how our minds work.

I am guilty of this, hence my public launch on February 1st, even though I’ve been writing for a while now.

Today, we might set resolutions like we did 31 days ago, and we are psyched about the great things we’re going to do. Not gonna lie, there are positives to this.

1. Renewed Motivation: The fresh start effect rejuvenates individual motivation, inspiring us to initiate productive actions and pursue our goals with heightened enthusiasm. In order words, our brains are screaming, “Morale High, Morale High.”.

2. Behavioral Shifts: It triggers cognitive shifts, prompting us to embrace new beginnings and adopt proactive behaviors, fostering a mindset conducive to personal and professional growth. This is where we cue in “New Year, New Me” chants. Delulu is the Solulu.

3. Goal Alignment: Fresh start moments encourage us to align our actions with our long-term goals, fostering a sense of purpose and direction in goal pursuit. Cries in unachieved goals.

4. Enhanced Self-Efficacy: It bolsters our belief in our ability to achieve desired outcomes, enhancing our self-efficacy and confidence in undertaking challenging endeavors. Yass, you’ve got this! Nobody can do this better than you. Laughs in baddie behavior.

But, to be fair, there are also downsides to this.

1. Temporal Limitations: The efficacy of the fresh start effect may be restricted to specific temporal landmarks, potentially limiting its continuous application throughout the year. This means we only set goals during the fizz of the firsts.

2. Sustainability Challenges: We may struggle to sustain the initial burst of motivation triggered by fresh start moments, leading to potential inconsistencies in long-term goal pursuit. We only act out of a dopamine high, and it eventually wears down.

3. Overly High Expectations: The anticipation of a fresh start may lead to exceedingly high expectations, potentially resulting in disappointment if desired outcomes are not immediately achieved. Like the confidence a new hairstyle or outfit gives. O ga ju oo, the confidence is plenty.

You see, humans are intrinsically selfish, impatient, and then hold shame over ourselves when we don’t do the things we set out to do. We reach for the large bowl of ice cream while checking Twitter to stay atop trends, despite saying we’re going to lay off social media for a while. This is because we prioritize temporal rewards and satisfaction over long-term goals. We think, “What’s the point? I've failed already, so what's stopping me from doing it again?" We self-loath, go back to the habit, and repeat the cycle all over again.

It’s okay to make mistakes. A missed gym session doesn’t mean no more going to the gym. A missed prayer time or Bible study doesn’t mean no more devotions. Because you fell into the trap of buying one more item on impulse, that doesn't make you an impulsive spender. Get up and dust up.

So, what can we do to take advantage of the benefits of this psychological behavior and use it to our advantage?

1. Start with the dopamine high. Yup, begin when the morale is high.

2. Set SMARTER goals. Realistic, achievable resolutions that can be broken into dailylutions and weeklylutions. Don’t be delulu, because you know you will not climb Mount Everest by March. Just set a weekly goal of 10,000 steps and a daily step count of 1500 steps.

3. Set structures for the goals you’ve set. Goal setting is good, but you see structures; they are the firm, steady rail holding the goals from falling apart. With structure, you do it regardless. Structure includes stuff like accountability. We do not rise to the level of our goals; we fall to the level of our systems.

4. Habits are like rituals. Do them until they become automated. Consistently tell your coconut head to break through the comfort of cycling back to old behaviors.

5. Visualize success. See yourself doing this and being great at it. You can decide to use affirmations, prompt cards, and set reminders that will show how great you’re doing. Picture the steps you need to take and the obstacles you may encounter along the way. Visualizing success can help reinforce your commitment and motivation. You can also write a letter to your future self and pour out everything you want to do. This you will receive in 6 months or 1 year, depending on your choice. Do so here.

By harnessing the power of new beginnings and implementing these strategies, you can set yourself up for a successful and fulfilling month and life ahead. Remember, every new day is an opportunity for growth, progress, and transformation. Embrace it with enthusiasm and determination, and watch as you unlock your full potential. You wouldn’t know how much capacity your body can hold until you stretched yourself.

While everything I’ve said is cute and motivational, the werey in you is shouting, “No be you go tell me wetin I go do”. Issokay. I actually do not want to tell you anything, but I need accountability too. I’m embarking on a 30-day writing challenge. Phew! Now that I said it out loud, it feels unattainable. So, can you agree to hold hands on this journey?

Literally, the best time to start is NOW!

Tell me, what goals do you want me to hold hands with you on?

And with that, I say, Happy February.

Reading recommendation: Atomic Habits by James Clear