Brett's Really Late May 2009 Post

[Brett Kraus]

Why do good things often fizzle out? People with New Years Resolutions
go strong at first and then allow time and resolve to wear away the
dedication to something that they felt at one time was valuable and
worthwhile.

Is there anything that would make sticking to your resolve and goal
easier, or is it something that is only valuable because it is hard to
keep doing?

[Jake Patterson]

You know Brett, I don't have a good answer to that question, but it's
a question I've had myself for a long time. I tend to focus on
distractions. I have this distraction or that one and I try to
mitigate them or eliminate them. I wish I could be consistent.

One of the things that make a good leader great is that ability to
consistently return to the original vision and make it matter. But
it's not enough to simply ask us to remember all the old reasons we
made that New Year's Resolution, one must infuse that Resolution with
new life, new purpose, in order to make it meaningful. It's not easy
to do and it takes a lot of thought--or improvisation. Maybe being
consistent isn't enough--one must be better than one was before in
order to be consistent.

[Binyamin]

Human nature is hard to change. Also, what we regard as bad habits
have payoffs, either directly rational or unconsciously emotional--or
maybe both--that we denigrate too much when we try to change our bad
habits. Don't knock those payoffs! You choose to eat too much of
something because it tastes really good and KEEPS tasting really good
no matter how much of it you eat. You choose not to exercise because
the TV show is really good or the video game is extremely compelling
and rewarding and fun.

If you want to change a habit, take it slow, in definable steps, with
regular checks on your progress. And don't beat yourself up! Unless
beating yourself up works (because every piece of bad advice is really
good advice every once in a while).

Furthermore, I don't think things worth doing are necessarily hard to
do. But they may be hard for YOU to do. And then you may want to
consider whether it's necessary to do them at all.