If you’re like me, each new year begins with fresh promises to yourself: pledges to eat healthier, exercise more, study harder and finally, discover what you’re supposed to do with your life. Resolutions are made with the best intentions and you wake up the morning of January 1 feeling ready for all challenges and adventures to come.

January is a great time. You buy fresh vegetables, befriend the elliptical and cut back on caffeine. Do you feel better? Why of course! You feel like a million bucks.

Inescapably, mid-February rolls around. The rush of the new start wears off and momentum starts to slow. The crowd at the gym begins to noticeably thin and the donut shop down on the corner is suddenly irresistible. All hope of major change fades and you are back to square one, falling effortlessly into old habits and thoughts.

Part of the draw of New Years is the idea of starting fresh. The rotating digit at the end of the date somehow brings with it the notion that whatever was plaguing you in the previous twelve months will now be exponentially better. Suddenly, you will remember to carry reusable grocery bags in your backseat and be consistently motivated to run three miles at five a.m.. There will be more time to read novels, cook intricate dinners and meet old friends for coffee. This is the year life will come together. You will finally get your dream job, find your soul mate and save your money. This is the year everything will start making sense.

The glaring problem is, your world does not radically change the moment the clock switches from 11:59 to 12:00. Every preexisting virtue and vice remains intact, even as champagne glasses clink and confetti floats to the floor.

The idea that this year will be the one where everything falls into place is a damaging one. Although it is a nice concept that we can routinely refresh our lives, cashing in a less than satisfactory 2016 for a brighter 2017 and so on, this mindset keeps our focus trained on a distant moment where all is right with the world.

The truth is, it isn't the beginning of a new 365 days that changes your life, it's what you do on the morning of day 167, or on the afternoon of day 236. The routines you establish, habits you maintain and conversations you have are ultimately the things that shape who you are and who you will become.

A few years ago, my mom hung a little chalk message board in our kitchen and carefully wrote, "every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." On one hand, this refers to the initial choice to try something new or risky. The first step can be terrifying, but it opens the door to a myriad of possibilities. However, it is the daily decision to keep trying again (and again and again) that ultimately brings about results. Failure is inevitable, but consistently refusing to be defeated is the key to actually making progress.

Instituting change isn't a one time effort. Whether you are striving for stronger relationships, enhanced work ethic or healthier habits, it will be a day-to-day battle. Determination on January 1 will not result in smooth sailing all the way through December, but the daily decision to wake up and try again despite setbacks will make a much greater difference than another repeated resolution.