Finding JOY in the challenge!

Setting goals, New Year’s resolutions or outlining key ambitions for 2023 is a noble and valuable activity. However, very few people who make these resolutions achieve them. The numbers indicate that less than 10% of people who make resolutions follow them through to fruition. Why is this?

I believe it is because most of us are unwilling to endure hardship and cultivate a mindset that finds joy in the challenge. Many of the popular messages in our modern culture tell us to pursue pleasure and comfort and that this will lead to happiness. We must avoid discomfort at all costs. This type of thinking is deceptive at best but is ultimately destructive for anyone wanting to reach their goals in 2023.

As you start this year, here are four points that will hopefully challenge your thinking and help you become part of the elusive 10% that will keep their resolutions this year.

 1. Know That Pleasure Is Not Happiness

Dopamine is an essential chemical needed for many of the body’s functions. It helps nerve cells send messages to each other. It is also the reward chemical released when you experience pleasure. Unfortunately, dopamine is never content. It always wants more. By pursuing only pleasure, you focus on a never-ending cycle that starts to develop. It then becomes not about the pleasure but fuelling the dopamine that we now crave.

2. Getting to Your Goal Will Usually Require Sacrifice

This seems obvious, but we are so accustomed to avoiding the discomfort that when it happens, we are surprised by it and often shy away from it. This year, retrain your brain to find joy in challenges and profound personal growth. Discomfort and sacrifice will almost certainly be part of your journey. Do something that takes you out of your comfort zone every day.

3. Make Your Resolution for the Right Reason

Do it because you are resolute in cultivating improvement passionately and becoming a better version of yourself. It’s a choice, not an obligation. Make sure that the resolution is worth your time and effort. A powerful question to help you cultivate a growth mindset is: What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail?

 4. Lastly, Give It Your All

Once you have decided to pursue your goal or resolution, give it everything you have. Regardless of the outcome (whether you win, lose, achieve it or don’t achieve it), it won’t matter. You can be at peace with the outcome because you gave it your full commitment. You will never have to be kept awake in the middle of the night wondering, “Did I do enough?”

Remember, resolutions are choices. You get to choose what you pursue, how much you are willing to sacrifice, how hard you are willing to work towards your goal, and how you spend your time. Only you can make the choice. You get to decide how you want to spend the time given to you.