There are plenty of articles out there telling us that we aren't going to make it when it comes to New Year's resolutions; that the data is against us. Just like nearly half of all small businesses exit before five years, most of us won't be able to keep our resolutions for more than one month and only 9% of Americans who make resolutions actually complete them. It's enough to make us wonder, "Why bother?"

This is not one of those articles.

What if this year were different? What if, in 2024, we were able to stick to a resolution to create a positive change in our business? What would that feel like once we achieved it?

First, let's get the negative stuff out of the way. It's true that the further away we get from the holiday cheer, the harder it is to maintain our resolutions for the new year. Often, we've set a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) that's misaligned with reality and it would require us to be a different person, team or company to succeed.

Since "comparison is the thief of joy," let's stop trying to be something we're not and instead take a different approach where we set intentions based on our understanding of who we are and what's realistic.

Related: Why Your New Year's Resolutions Won't Work Unless You Stop Doing These 4 Things

If I were able to keep my resolutions, I'd have been a billionaire 20 years ago. Not because I set a resolution to get rich — that'd be a real BHAG — but if the resolutions I made were achieved and had the desired effect, it would have paid dividends many times over. But the world........

© Entrepreneur