Why resolutions fail

‘Tis the season for goal setting. But, before you start plotting and planning just which steps you’ll take to launch your life forward in 2012, don’t forget to pick the right goal.

Sounds obvious, but many of us go after the goals we think we ought to pursue, instead of the things we actually want to achieve. We resolve to  lose-weight-workout-more and quit within a couple of weeks, because it didn’t excite or move us.

Until you’ve tapped into your passions, until you’re clear about what really floats your boat, your resolutions don’t have a chance of succeeding.

When you know what excites you, you’re bound to persevere. You’ll stick it out – during the hard times – because you just care too much too quit. You’ll be willing to do the things every day that are required to make your dream come true. That consistent effort will rework and rewire your neurons to help you develop new habits and behaviors that will support your goal.

If you don’t care deeply about what you’re going for, you’ll quit over the mundane and menial tasks required by the bigger goal. You’ll give up too soon. That’s O.K. if your goals really don’t matter to you. But, then why would you want to invest any time at all into something that doesn’t matter all that much?

Whatever you decide to change, add, improve — is fine. There are no wrong answers here. You don’t have to lose weight, just because it’s a popular thing to say. Just know, that whatever you decide to do, you’ve got to pick the things you’re passionate about if you want them to stick.

This might take some exploration. Many of us lose sight of what we care about, we forget what excites us. Or, maybe you need to rewrite your goal so that is resonates more deeply. For years, my goal was to lose 15 pounds. I never did and I never felt all that bad about it – both indications that I’d picked the wrong plan. But, a couple of years ago, I realized I was lagging behind my young daughter Sweet P and that, I did not like. So, I picked a more powerful goal: I wanted to have more energy and feel more fit. That one I accomplished without a whole lot of struggle and I dropped 15 pounds during the effort.

If you take time to really figure out what you desire, to really know on a spiritual level what you’re passionate about, you will persist and you will prevail.

Wednesday, tune in for a video from Jack Canfield talking about how to rediscover and reconnect to those passions and start thinking about what you really want to accomplish in 2012.