Image source: bridgetterussel.com
Now is time where a lot of people are challenging their own motivation with their new year’s resolutions. Have you ever thought about why it is some people can set a new year’s resolution and stick to it to a T, while most of us give up within the month a January?
As physiotherapists, patients present to us with an injury or pain. A lot of the time to address the problem the patient needs to perform exercises or make some changes to their lifestyle. Therefore, we are very focused on understanding what motivates people so they will be inclined to follow our advice and help themselves to get better.
According to psychologist Gretchen Rubin, a lot of this comes down to your personality and how you respond to expectations. Understanding how you might respond to outer expectations (deadlines, keeping an appointment made, meeting up with a friend) versus inner expectations (practicing guitar, going on a diet, finishing a home project) gives you a chance to set yourself up for success for your 2022 resolutions
What is your tendency? Take the tendency test here
4 Tendencies Quiz https://quiz.gretchenrubin.com/
So how does this help me get going in 2022? Well, if you understand your tendency, then you can set yourself up to help yourself.
Here are the four main categories people fit into:
- Upholder: These people have no issues meeting outer or inner expectations. If they say they’re going to run 3 x a week, they’ll be the ones sticking by it come December 2022.
Upholders are very good at scheduling time and have great satisfaction in sticking to their good habits. So, resolutions come quite naturally to them.
- Questioner: These people can meet inner and outer expectations, but if they don’t understand WHY they’re doing something, they won’t do it. Justification leads to motivation, so to stick to the run 3 x week, they need to have a reason why they need to run.
Questioner’s need to find their reason why they need to achieve their resolution. Once they figure out the why, they will stick to their resolution.
- Obliger: This is the most common tendency. Outer expectations are no issue for this group, however inner expectations can prove to be a challenge. Playing an instrument in a band is easy, but playing in your free time, much more challenging. Reading a book for book club – no problem, reading a book for the fun of it – will not get finished. So, to stick to the 3 x week resolution, they need to join a running club or commit with a very reliable friend.
Obligers need to be accountable to anything/anyone but themselves!!! They need to join a class, report to someone or pay upfront! Once they have their external obligation, they will achieve their resolution. But if they make promises to themselves, they tend to not achieve anything.
- Rebel: This is the least common of the tendencies. A rebel will resist all expectations, inner and outer. They will do what-ever they feel like doing. On first reading this tendency sounds a bit negative, however the Rebels can do anything they want to do. So if they want to run 3 x a week, they will, and they will probably be exceptionally good at doing it, because they want to.
If they want to, a Rebel will achieve what they set out to do. But it most likely won’t be decided on New Year’s Day. They will decide when to start!!!!
So take the simple and quick “4 tendencies test”, understand your tendency and set yourself up to achieve. And if you need help to understand what type of get fit strategies will not cause pain – book into physio and get a plan!
