What the Hell

The origins of New Year’s resolutions rests more than 4,000 years ago with the Babylonians, who reportedly made promises to the gods in hopes that they’d earn good favor in the coming year. They’d often resolve to get out of debt. (Source: Sarah Pruitt, HISTORY.com)

Times haven’t changed much, as New Year’s resolutions continue to abound in our culture. The most frequent intentions are: saving money, prioritizing exercise and eating healthier. No surprises here.  

For those of us who make resolutions, why do we find ourselves making the same promises year after year? Wouldn’t it be much easier to just stick with our goals, no matter what? 

Could it be that our desire to be the best or to be perfect kills our ongoing effort? 

Coined in the dieting world, the “what-the-hell effect” is a real psychological phenomenon that speaks to the challenge of willpower. It explains the cycle of not being perfect with our stated goals. One slip and we feel like we’ve blown it. The lapse in willpower turns into, “What the hell, I might as well throw in the towel and start again next week.”  And there go our yearly resolutions. 

A better way is to not expect perfection. We need to cultivate the ability to accept good even when it’s not our best. Good enough will keep us in the game, while striving for perfection can often derail our effort.  

“So… ” says Neil Patel of Entrepreneur.com, “Take note of one mental shift that’s particularly important for producing success: ‘Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.