KELLY: Hi. So let’s just say hypothetically – asking for a friend – you had this, like, big goal for New Years, and you have already stopped pursuing it. How do we get back on track?
SEGARRA: And, yeah, along those lines, what often happens, the reason we stop going with a goal is because we’re too rigid with ourselves. We talked to Katy Milkman. She’s a professor at the Wharton School of Business, and she’s researched what she calls the what the hell effect. So basically, you say you’re going to go to the gym five times a week. You go a couple of days, and then you miss one. And then you miss another one and you say, what the hell, I’ve already failed. She says it’s better to build in some flexibility and give yourself something called a free pass.
KATY MILKMAN: If you have a late night at work, you can take a mulligan and it’s OK. You don’t want to give yourself five free passes, but maybe two.