Don’t Be a “New Year’s Failure”

Every year for the past 15 years, I’ve set a New Year’s Resolution.

And every year for the past 15 years, I’ve failed to achieve those resolutions.

I’m a “New Year’s Failure.”

So are a lot of other people.

Here’s what all of us failures have in common:

 

1. We Don’t Set Specific Goals

Instead, we say something general like “I want to get stronger” or “I want to lose body fat.”

This is like asking for directions and someone telling us to, “Go South.”

It’s great we know what direction we’re headed.

But without a specific route, we’re never going to find our destination.

 

2. We Set Goals We Don’t Value

Usually because someone tells us to, or because it’s what everyone else is doing.

We say we want to achieve one goal, but deep down we really want to achieve something else.

And as a result, we set ourselves up for failure right from the get go.

 

3. We Set Unrealistic Goals

Because, although most people can’t lose 30 pounds in three days, that doesn’t mean we can’t.

We’re SUPER people.

The laws of physiology don’t apply to us.

Or at least, that’s what we think.

So every year, we set crazy and unhealthy goals.

And every year, we don’t come close to achieving them.

 

4. We Try To Make Too Many Changes, Too Fast

You know, because instant gratification.

Why make small, progressive changes over time when we can make really big changes right NOW?

Because it’s more maintainable?

Because it’ll allow us to make long term, lasting progress?

HA…we’ll just stick with the crash diets.

 

5. We Stop at the First Sign of Trouble

Often times because we think progress happens in a linear fashion.

When it doesn’t (i.e. when we hit a road block), we freak out.

We think we’re failing.

And because we perceive failure as the enemy of success – as opposed to a stepping-stone leading up to it – we quit during the most important part of our journey.

 

6. We Don’t Work Hard

We just try to *will* our way to success.

We skip training sessions and we constantly fall off of our diets.

But, it’s OK.

Success will fall in to our laps eventually.

 

7. We Don’t Keep Track of Progress

Because, who has time to log all of their stuff in a workout journal?

People who are serious about their results?

People who want to see where they’ve been so they can adjust to get to where they’re going?

Successful people?

Yeah…that’s not us.

 

8. We Set New Year’s Resolutions

As silly as this sounds, we regard New Year’s as the one day designated toward self-improvement.

The other 364 days per year?

Those don’t matter.

They’re just days.

Days we lifelessly pass through as we get ready for the one day we’ve set aside to better ourselves.