3 Things to Know About New Year’s Resolutions

Personal growth, systems thinking, goal porn, and my New Years “Resolutions”

The new year brings hope. Many people set “resolutions” to make the coming year happier or more productive. These resolutions are usually things like losing weight, writing a book, running a marathon or getting a promotion.

But research has found that of the 92% of people who set New Year’s resolutions fail to accomplish them. Why is that and what can be done to improve the success rate?

In this article, I share how creating systems can be more effective than setting goals, an unforeseen consequence of personal growth, and my “resolutions” for 2017.

1. Creating systems vs setting goals

Writing down a list of things you want (goals) is inspiring. It’s almost pornographic. It fills your mind with your most egregious fantasies of success and happiness.

However, goals are inherently predicated on unvalidated assumptions, many uncontrollable variables and an unpredictable future. In addition, when you set a goal, you are in a state of failure until you accomplish it. You push happiness and success off until the goal is reached (if it ever is).