Here's an idea, New Year's resolutions are hard.
OK, so first and foremost, happy New Year.
And maybe more importantly, the world
didn't end on December 21!
Woo!
Now because it's the new year and the apocalypse
didn't befall us we know exactly what's going to happen.
Everyone's going to go out and drop c-note
on that gym membership that they're only
going to use through February.
We know, we know, the machines are always sweaty
and the front desk guy is really mean.
It's fine, no judgment.
According to Wikipedia, the success rate
for New Year's resolutions is about 12%,
which means that there has got to be
something wrong with our resolving, right?
How often do you hear people resolving
to do a whole set of things, like right a song a day,
read 100 books, go to the gym twice a week,
and learn a new language?
All of that stuff is really hard.
I mean, hearts are in the right place,
but it requires self discipline, an effect
of persistent willpower.
And willpower, much like those flabby muscles, needs exercise.
And you can abuse it by doing the willpower version of an 800
pound clean and jerk.
Yikes.
Psychologist Roy Baumeister writes
in "Willpower," that those bad at resolving
should quote, "put the blame where it belongs, on the list."
You only have one supply of willpower,
and the different New Year's resolutions all
compete against one another.
Each time you try to follow one, you reduce your capacity
for all the others.
Instead of resolving to learn to play guitar, lose 10 pounds,
quit smoking, and climb all of the mountains, just choose one.
Personally, I'm trying to get better at electronic stuff
so I'm going to start easy with this synth module,
and hopefully by the end of the year
I will have designed and built my own tube amp, but we'll see.
There are a lot of Idea Channel episodes between now and then.
Start small and end big, unless of course, your resolution
is to start and finish "Homestuck" in which case,
bonne chance.
What are you guys resolving to do and do
you have a plan to do it?
Let me know in the comments and I will be back
with a full episode next week.
It's about outer space, so get psyched.