Explaining the Fresh Start Phenomenon
The Fresh Start Phenomenon is a powerful psychological concept that describes the surge of motivation people often feel during symbolic new beginnings, such as the new year.
Explaining the Fresh Start Phenomenon
11 January 2025
Create a consistent daily routine that aligns with your goals and helps make your actions feel natural over time.
Use reminders or cues such as setting alarms or organising your environment to make it easier to stay on track.
Celebrate small wins, but don’t rely on rewards to keep yourself consistent.
When obstacles arise, focus on the long-term benefits of sticking to your goals rather than an immediate comfort, and remember that discipline is a skill that strengthens each time you practice it.
Accountability buddies: join public forums to post about slipping motivation, make a pact with a friend to be disciplined to the change and when you feel like you are slipping – talk to them.
Set ‘floor’ and ‘ceiling’ standards for your change goals: The floor is the lower limit of what you can do in a day (i.e., walk for ten minutes) where the ceiling is the upper limit (i.e., walk 10,000 steps).
Consult with mental and physical health clinicians to better understand how you can maintain the path to your goals.
The Fresh Start Phenomenon is a powerful psychological concept that describes the surge of motivation people often feel during symbolic new beginnings, such as the new year.
The Fresh Start Phenomenon is a powerful psychological concept that describes the surge of motivation people often feel during symbolic new beginnings, such as the new year.
Whether it's the start of a new year, a birthday, or even the first day of the week, these milestones give us a sense of renewal—a psychological ‘reset’ that encourages us to set ambitious goals or recommit to our dreams. These moments offer a break from the past and an opportunity to redefine ourselves and our habits.
Finding the motivation
When we experience a fresh start, our motivation is often at its peak. This burst of enthusiasm helps us set goals, create action plans, and, most importantly, visualise ourselves achieving our aspirations.
This initial motivation is like an emotional fuel tank that gets us excited to begin the journey. It’s what pushes someone to sign up for a new fitness class, launch a side project, or make that first move toward a healthier lifestyle.
Motivation is essential for any journey because it provides the spark to start. It helps us see the possibility of change and makes the steps feel within reach. However, motivation alone has limits—it's often fleeting and influenced by our mood, energy levels, and external factors.
As enthusiasm naturally wanes over time, it can become challenging to maintain the same level of excitement. Our life responsibilities, such as attending appointments, parenting, and work, require motivation which can drain us when it comes to working toward our goals.
Our pool of motivation can also be made shallower by stress, depression, and anxiety, which can be common symptoms experienced by veterans and Defence family members.
Building your discipline
This is where discipline becomes essential. Discipline is the structure and commitment that allows us to continue when the initial motivation fades. It’s the practice of doing the necessary actions consistently, even when the desire to keep going is no longer strong.
While motivation is about feeling ready, discipline is about staying steady. Discipline is setting a routine, following through on daily actions, and showing up regardless of how you feel on a given day.
Practicing discipline to stick to your goals
Practicing and reinforcing discipline starts with setting clear, achievable goals and breaking them into small, manageable steps. The benefits of breaking these goals down is to make them achievable every day, and every time you do, you will get a little boost of motivation, making it easier to maintain your discipline.
Some practical solutions to low motivation include:
To make the most of the fresh start phenomenon, it's important to embrace both motivation and discipline.
Use the energy from your fresh start to get moving and then lean on discipline to keep your progress steady. When motivation fades, discipline is there to carry you forward, building resilience and persistence that lead to lasting change.
By combining these two forces, you can create momentum for a lifetime, achieving goals and evolving beyond your initial vision.
Support at Mates4Mates
Mates4Mates offers veterans and family members access to mental health and physical health clinicians who can support you and make sure you are set up to meet your goals.
Our exercise physiologists and physiotherapists are available to assist with any physical concerns that may need to be addressed or you are aiming to overcome, and our team of psychologists, social workers, and counsellors are available to support you in managing any negative mentalities that may be impacting you in achieving your goals or decreasing your motivation.
To find out more, reach out to Mates4Mates on 1300 4 MATES (62 837) for a confidential chat.
Written by Jonathan Moscrop, Mates4Mates Clinical Lead – Psychological Services
