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It's that time again, when we all are trying to decide upon those New Year resolutions that we intend to institute and commit to. We are already well into January 2006; Have you started your New Year yet? Have you already decided upon your resolution? Will you continue or have you already conceded failure? Will you try again? Why is it so difficult to do this one simple thing?

Human beings are complex beings composed of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components. We are creatures of habit. Most of us resist change, tending to yield to that which we find comfortable. We often feel threatened by complexity and technology, preferring that which is safe and familiar. Proclaiming a resolution or goal for the New Year is fun to announce and discuss but often difficult to begin, much less accomplish in a timely manner.

Our brains work in mysterious yet somewhat predictable ways, as scientists have recently discovered. Did you know that the act of simply writing down your new resolution and reviewing it often, possibly by placing it in a place where you will be exposed to it often, such as on the bathroom mirror, drastically increases the odds that you will indeed accomplish that goal? Take time to re-write your goal each day and increase your success rate even more! In fact, if you will simply read and/or write your goal each morning when you arise and again each evening before going to sleep, you will enable your subconscious mind to work on driving you towards it when you awaken again. This is a truly amazing phenomenon that actually works. It has worked for me and countless others, and it will work for you as well.

We now know that it takes no less than three weeks to form a new habit. If you have decided, for instance, that you will drink a glass of soymilk each morning as part of a heart-healthy strategy, you must actually consume that soymilk each morning, preferably at the same time, for at least three weeks before it becomes habitual. You will learn to enjoy it and will surely miss it if you do not have that refreshing drink on any given morning! You see, it is really that simple.

Anthony Robbins teaches that we are all driven by the emotions of pain and pleasure. As humans, we continuously seek pleasure and avoid pain at all costs. If an activity, dieting for instance, is associated with pain and discomfort in your brain, then you are going to find it quite difficult to institute any quality, successful dietary program unless you change how you feel about it. If you associate great pleasure with the thought of your body with twenty pounds less weight around your mid-section, then you probably will have the drive and conviction to deny yourself those tempting extra calories. You will associate great pain and discomfort with the image of yourself as you currently are. The pleasure associated with a lean body will drive you through the temporary, short-term discomfort of the diet.

The truth of the matter is that all resolutions or goals are basically a matter of personal decision. Brian Tracy, a master trainer and expert in personal development says it all in one simple statement: "Simply do what you resolve to do." Nike says "Just do it." Yoda says "Try? Try? There is no try, only do." There is no simpler, more direct description of how to achieve ongoing success in any personal endeavor. Decide what it is that you want, make your plan to achieve it and get busy!

Copyright 2006 Daniel Sitter