With 2018 peaking around the corner, many of us are looking for ways to improve from 2017. Although I find this arbitrary day not much better than any other day to make a change, I will share with you what I have learned about making and sticking with goals. First, do you really even want to change?

Yes. Of course, I do. None of my pants fit anymore.

No, I mean, really? Is it worth the effort it’s going to take? It takes effort to change. Don’t just think of the outcome of a behavior change; think of the mental task of the daily, hourly, sometimes minutely repetition of making that choice. How many times are you going to have to choose that same choice?

Well… I really don’t want to have to buy new pants.

Think about waking up an hour early to get a run in before work. Not just the first or second time, but that fourth, fifth time, or that sixteenth time. Are you going to choose an hour less sleep every day? Because we all know you’re not going to go to bed earlier. Are you going to choose to expend energy when your body is exhausted? When you’ve had a really shitty week? After a later night than you had expected?

No. I’m ready. I’ll put in the hard work.

Okay good. Now let’s break this goal down into increments. First…

I’m ten steps ahead of you. I’m going to wake up at 5:30 in the morning every weekday and run 6 miles, on Saturday I’ll do a long run, probably start at 8 miles, increase by a mile every week, and Sundays, of course, will be my only day of rest.

Are you crazy? How do you think that’s going to be sustainable? You hate mornings, you love to sleep and you haven’t gone on a run in years. Years! The first day, you’ll destroy yourself.

Yeah, but think of the sweet body I’ll have by spring. Hiking in spandex? Beach volleyball? Skinny jeans? I’m gonna be hot.

No, you won’t, because you’ll be so sore after that first day you’ll hardly walk for the next week and you’ll give up. Lasting change is incremental. If you set too high of a standard for yourself at the beginning, it’ll be easier to quit.

LOL. Yeah. You’re probably right.

Just make the first couple of steps to you resolution easy and attainable. Each time you complete a step, your confidence and commitment will grow. Accomplishment, even micro accomplishments, are addictive. Wait and let a few stack up, then increase the ambition of your goal as your dedication grows.

So… at first, should I try running a minimum of four times a week?

Is that something you feel like you could realistically accomplish?

Yeah. I could do that.

Then I think that would be a good place to start. Also, what sort of things would support your motivation?

I could listen to “Reply All” or “Criminal” on my run. I could even save them for when I’m running. I could download the Map My Run App. And maybe, if I feel good after a month or two, I could look to train for a half marathon.

Yes! Find ways to build excitement for your goal. And avoid things that discourage you from your goal.

Like trying to run with that friend who is way faster, even when he’s going “slow” for me.

Yeah, fuck that guy.

Or skipping a run to go to breakfast with the friend that gave up on his resolution after the third day, letting skipping a run become a pattern, eventually adopting his same attitude until I realize that I haven’t run for three and a half weeks.

Oh yeah. Avoid that like the plague. And lastly, I’ll advise you to consider the promises you make to yourself in the same way you consider the promises you make to your friends. If you keep breaking your promises, no one will trust your word. The same holds true for yourself. Every time you break a promise to yourself, you undermine the next promise you’ll make. You’ll begin to doubt that you can pull through for yourself. And that doubt will erode your ability to do so.

But if I break my goal up into easy and attainable increments that shouldn’t be a problem.

Exactly. You're well on your way to a lasting resolution. Here’s wishing you a better year than the last.

Aw. Same.