Want to know the secret to sticking to your New Year’s resolutions? You need to think about them differently. According to Tory Higgins, professor of psychology and business at Columbia University, and head of the Motivational Science Center there, you need to differentiate between “promotion goals” and “prevention goals.” While promotion goals are hopes and dreams, writes Charlotte Alter, prevention goals are duties and obligations designed to maintain what you already have.
That’s why prevention goals are more likely to be successful in the long run AND are more successful at maintaining reasonable habits that keep you safe and healthy.
