Why Your New Year's Resolutions Never Stick

If you want to do a new thing in the physical, you have to do a new thing in the mind first. The reason most people fail in their new years resolutions as well as other goals that they set for themselves is that they don't take their mindset into account. The result, predictably is failure.

Consider the following statement, which by the way, is a fact. "Everything starts and is enacted in your mind before it takes place in the physical universe." This includes success and failure.

I will use the very apt analogy with a computer to explain how this works, and why it is so.

Think of your personal computer or PC. If you're not familiar with how a computer is put together you may think, what you see on the outside is all there is to it. However that is not the case. What you see on the outside is just there to give instructions to what is on the inside.

Don't they also say that about icebergs? That which you actually see is only the tip and that the biggest chunk lies hidden under the surface? Perhaps that's why the Titanic ran into one, but I'm digressing, so let’s get back to the topic at hand, which is the working of your PC.

It is the part of the computer that is on the inside and that you cannot see, which is doing most of the work. This is in reality what enables your PC to accomplish all you ask of it. Without that part which is on the inside, your PC would basically be useless. It may look good on the outside, but that’s all it would be; an empty shell.

You could type on the keyboard until you're blue in the face, but if that keyboard is not connected to a software program on the inside, specifically programmed to obey your commands, nothing would happen.

It is the same with you and your mind. If the human brain or the mind is not functioning because of some condition, then you can do whatever you want on the body or with the body, but it would be useless.

Let's get back to the computer. What I sketched above is just one scenario.

The other scenario is that the keyboard can be connected to a software program, but if that software program is not setup specifically for what you're trying to accomplish it wouldn't help you much either.

Remember, there are thousands of software programs on the market. Each one designed to perform a particular function and execute specific commands, with some of these programs even having multiple versions. As the versions differ, so too do its capabilities.

Now let's get back to your new year's resolutions. The only reason you would make a resolution is because there is something in your life that you're not happy with and that you want to improve. Now I can for a fact tell you, that the mind had something to do with your failure or lack of success.

Whether you want to stop smoking or stop drinking or want to improve yourself in terms of your skills or qualification, your mind is the main reason why it was a problem and it has to be a part of your solution.

Just as the computer needs specific software for specific tasks, so too you need a specific mindset for whatever it is you wish to accomplish.

The reason you failed in the past is because you had a failure mindset. Most people who make new resolutions set goals, like "I will stop smoking by doing A, B, C” and unfortunately they fail because they're trying to accomplish all these new goals with a failure mindset.

Jesus said in Luke 5:37-38 "And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the new wine will burst the skins, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins."

Trying to do something new (stop smoking) with an old mindset (I can’t stop) or (I need a cigarette) is like pouring new wine into old wineskins. The old skins will tear and all the effort, time and money you put into it will be wasted.

It's impossible to achieve success with a failure mindset. You need to change your mindset to that of a winner.

A failure mindset expects failure around every turn and attracts it even though you're working hard on the outside to create success. That is why you keep on encountering obstacle after obstacle and why you sometimes sabotage your own success.