Tis' the season for New Year Resolutions. I love the idea because at its core people are deciding to make a change. But,  

Don't Make New Year Resolutions. You will Fail. 

Make Daily Resolutions. You will Succeed.

Here's why: 

1. 365 Days is a long time.

A year is a long time. Mentally, it's hard to imagine staying committed to a goal for 365 days. As an example, when I was  younger (and stupider) I chewed tobacco - yuck!. When I finally wised-up, I joined an online support group to quit. They preached "One craving at a time, one day at a time." Focus on stay committed for that moment. Before you know it, 365 days will have passed. 

2. Things change. You need to stay flexible.

Again, a year is a long time . The set of actions you thought you needed may need adjusting to achieve your goal. For instance, four years ago I wanted to eat more healthy before I ran the New York City Marathon. So, I committed to being vegan for six months. After several weeks, my body become more fragile and weak. At fault was my lack of education on the vegan diet to adequately consume enough variety for all my macro and micro nutrients. Therefore, I shifted - introducing dairy and then fish. The result was a healthier diet than before, but I adapted the mechanism to achieve the goal. Stay flexible. 

3. You need momentum to achieve big things.

Big goals, start with small actions. For instance, I want to be an influential advice giver in the running community - for those starting and those accelerating. Well, that's a pretty audacious goal. If that was my New Year Resolution, I would fail. Instead, I'm going to write a blog today. Tomorrow I will begin researching what the community is asking to help answer next week. Keep moving - small actions every day.

4. Boredom and delayed gratification.

Maintaining disciple for 365 days is hard. Instead, focus on achieving your goal today - and then the next day. Each day, you will have a victory that is either won or lost. For instance, last year I wanted to wake-up earlier and run. If I did, I won that day and would buy my favorite cup of coffee on the way to work. If I didn't, I drank office coffee - not as good. Simple game to play that can make it more interesting. 

So, what is my daily resolution for January 1, 2018?

When it comes to running, I want to contribute to the conversation. For the past 10 years, I have taken knowledge and support from others in the community. Today, I want to give back my reading more blogs, social media comments, and questions and doing my best to contribute to the conversation.