Did you know that by the end of the first week into the new year, 77% of resolutions will have already failed (Norcross, 1988)? Yikes!

You might ask yourself, "Why bother trying?" Well, you should. Chances are you are currently approaching resolutions all wrong, setting yourself up for your first failure of the year.

You aren't weak or lazy—you just have a misaligned system that doesn't work in your favor. You can improve the resolutions you do make and set yourself up for success.

Traditional resolutions are framed on tests of willpower (Norcross, 1988), and this sets us up for failure because motivation always wanes with time. Early enthusiasm fuels so much for us—but not all of it suits us over time.

How often have you agreed to plans enthusiastically and then, when the date comes, you really don't want to go? You feel tired or unmotivated; the enthusiasm of a month ago faded by the time the event came around.

Or, how often have you set a goal to accomplish something like clean out a room, take a course, or even take a trip, but the enthusiasm in the beginning fades over time, so the room remains cluttered, the course isn't taken, and the trip never comes to fruition? We are masters of great intentions.

This isn't all bad. The same research that found that 77% of resolutions fail fast also found that 19% of resolutions are kept for two years (Norcorss, 1988). We rarely focus on the accomplishments we achieve. But doing so is how we can capitalize on making........

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