I just love that video. The whole theme is about why your New Year’s Resolution won’t work.
It says a lot about our motivation for change and our inability to do so.
The real problem is not in our abilities though. Ironically, it’s our desire to change that’s part of the problem.
It’s not that setting goals is wrong in and of itself. The problem is in the way in which we set goals. Most of us can easily see the big picture of what we want to achieve. In the video spoof, its all about losing weight as part of our New Year’s resolution.
The fact is, many of us set the weight loss goal at a number that requires a long time to get there in a healthy manner. That goal, in essence, becomes too big for our minds to be able to execute in a realistic way. The problem is not in setting the goal in and of itself. Of course we should set goals. Setting goals for attaining healthy objectives is a good thing.
The real problem is our inability to break that goal down into manageable, realistic “mini goals” to ensure we are successful.
That becomes a real problem in achieving the desired objective, or “New Year’s Resolution” and why so many of us fail when we set them. The way our brains are wired causes us to literally freeze up and not follow through on accomplishing the bigger goal when we are confronted with obstacles along the way to achieving the goal we had planned. Just like the video spoof, we get easily deterred by the smell of Mickey Dee fries when we smell them. Then poof, in goes the fries and out goes the gut!
The key to successfully achieving the Resolution or goal is to focus on achieving the attainable “mini goals” along the way. In doing so, we are able to handle the immediate challenge in a much more realistic manner. By avoiding the lure of the Mickey Dees fries, we are able to overcome the short term obstacle in pursuit of the long term objective.
So if you are like many of us, setting New Year’s goals of weight loss or any other goal can work successfully. It simply comes down to ensuring you have shorter term goals that are achievable. Doing so increases the odds of your success towards the bigger goal or New Year’s Resolution.
For my short term goal, I’m choosing to not even breathe as I pass Mickey Dees. These pounds gotta come off. Hey, it’s a short term strategy- simple but effective for my weight loss Resolution.
What’s your strategy for achieving your New Year’s Resolution?