3 Reasons Why You Are NOT Hitting Your New Year's Resolutions

(Distraction Is The Foe of Focus, Later Is The Enemy of Now, and Unrealistic Is The Opponent Of Achievable)| Insight 48

Happy Halfway There! Welcome to June :) 

Question: How are your New Year's resolutions coming along?

Have you lost half the weight you were aiming to lose, read half the books you had in mind, and checked off half the list you curated at the start of January? 

I hope you answered yes, but if you haven't, there are likely three primary reasons why:

1. You forgot, and life got in the way.

2. You think it's too late, you're too far gone, so you should wait till next year.

3. You had good intentions, but unreasonable goals. 

Guess what!? This is your friendly reminder, it is, in fact, not “too late” … yet, and goals can easily shift from unattainable to achievable in a matter of moments if you engage in the proper adjustments.

I wonder where all the time has gone between this last January and now? We could all list a thousand reasons why, but at the end of the day, three central concepts stop us from pursuing the goals we so eagerly held only six months ago.

One, Distraction Is The Foe of Focus.

Two, Later is the Enemy of Now.

Three, Unrealistic Is The Opponent Of Achievable

Notice the warlike vocabulary in the phrases above. These occurrences are battles that require a purposeful strategy to win. A passive mentality will be unable to withstand their pressure.

Distraction Is The Foe of Focus. To begin, it's hard to know what you don’t know. And many of our goals, while so clear at the beginning of the year, become muddied when our daily realities get in the way. While this isn't exactly our fault, our complacency is partly to blame for the crime of an overcrowded life. We are all so bombarded with one thing to do after another that the list of pending items expands from just our New Year's resolutions, dreams, and goals, to include an endless set of chores, work responsibilities, and relationship commitments - these drown out our dreams.

Hard Life Truth: No One Will Pursue Your Dreams For You.

While we all have roles and duties to fulfill (which should be prioritized appropriately), by the time June arrives, our calendars have been filled with random events, meetings, or gatherings we do not actually want or need to attend. Saying “yes” to something is saying “no” to something else. My mother very wisely told me growing up, “Dani, no tienes que ser cilantro de todo caldo.” Meaning, “Dani, you don't have to be the spice in every dish". 

Simply put, there is no need for you to be a part of everything, and it's ok to say no! If you can’t bring yourself to say “no” just yet, then at least consider being more mindful of protecting your yes. Act on that this week by cleaning out your calendar, setting boundaries, establishing accountability, and breathing - remember to breathe. Be clear on what your intentions are. This life isn't all there is, but while we’re on this earth, it is our responsibility to make the most of it.

Later Is The Enemy Of Now. Secondly, we too easily get in our own heads and talk ourselves out of doing great things because we think the timelines are off, that it's “too late”, or even “too early”, and that we will have time later to try again. But none of us are promised a new day, we are like the fog, here a moment and gone the next (James 4:14). So why wait till then when you have today? 

Take one step, and then another, and another. Stop making excuses, remind yourself that yes, there is a time for everything under the sun, even a time for waiting, but you must do something IN the waiting.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now" - Chinese Proverb. 

Unrealistic Is The Opponent Of Achievable. Finally, the third and perhaps most unexpected reason we are not halfway to attaining our New Year goals halfway through the year is our tendency to overpromise while underperforming.

I understand that these goals we set should stretch us, but too much of a stretch can lead to a tear. The only way to properly do this is to be proportional in our pursuit. Yes, set the bar high, but not so high you can’t reach it when you jump. Push yourself, but don't push yourself off the ledge. 

Revise your list of goals and ask yourself whether they are attainable with the proper effort and dedication. If you notice that you may have been misaligned in your pursuit and that your goals are disproportionate to your time and ability, then engage in a serious recalibration and set them accordingly to what can be accomplished with the time given. 

Reasonable goals with the right effort will be completed most often and serve as the greatest motivation throughout the pursuit.

—

There are roughly 180 days left in this year, six months to reorganize and reignite. Only we hold the pen to the novel that is our lives… will we be able to look back with a sense of satisfaction and joy over the story that was written?

Don’t let “how far away it seems” cause you to loosen up, lie back, or abandon restraint.

Remember:

1. Distraction Is The Foe of Focus.

2. Later Is The Enemy Of Now.

3. Unrealistic Is The Opponent Of Achievable.

Cheers to us and our New Year's resolutions renewal. 🥂

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta

Sources:

Distraction Is The Foe of Focus: 

“Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you... Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” - Proverbs 4:25-27

Later Is The Enemy Of Now:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.” - Proverbs 27:1

“You do not know what tomorrow will bring... What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” - James 4:13-14

Unrealistic Is The Opponent Of Achievable:

“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?” - Luke 14:28-30

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.” - Proverbs 21:5