The beginning of a new year is often a time for setting new goals or making resolutions. The challenge, however, lies in sticking to these resolutions. Why is it that so many of us start with good intentions but falter before January ends?

Between 80% and 92% of people fail their New Year's resolutions. Some researchers suggest that only 9% of people that make resolutions complete them, 23% of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week, and 43% quit by the end of January.   Bottom line, sticking to these resolutions is a challenge!

For me, I need to create a “Big Picture”. Let me explain.

The Importance of Motivation

It's not necessarily about willpower or determination. More often, it’s about how important the goal truly is to us. We must invest our goals with significant weight —enough "legs" so they can run. Often, we aim too low, thinking small is more achievable, but aiming big can actually give us the push we need.

The 'Why' Behind Our Goals

When it comes to resolutions like losing weight or getting fit, simply stating the goal isn't enough. We need a compelling reason behind it. A friend once introduced me to a concept called "The 6 Whys." By asking ourselves "why" six times, we can uncover the deeper motivation behind our goals. It’s about reasoning backward, much like Sherlock Holmes’ method of deduction, to truly understand our desires.

Making Failure Impossible

The past year has taught me that failure is inevitable. To be clear, set-backs are inevitable. Life happens. If you want to Make Failure Impossible, you need to embrace it. Realise that set-backs are an inevitable part of the process. My past year has been especially challenging on many levels and I felt like giving up often. But the fact is I had visualised my goal; created “my big picture”. 

Perhaps you can even start to plan for failure or a setback. For example, some studies suggest that taking a diet break actually improves your chances of losing weight. So rather than seeing it as failure or even a set-back; visualise it as something that is actually helping you move towards your goal or your big picture.

Holmes' Deduction Method

“In solving a problem of this sort, the grand thing is to be able to reason backwards. That is a very useful accomplishment, and a very easy one, but people do not practise it much. In the every-day affairs of life it is more useful to reason forwards, and so the ... synthetically for one who can reason analytically…Let me see if I can make it clearer. Most people, if you describe a train of events to them, will tell you what the result would be. They can put those events together in their minds, and argue from them that something will come to pass. There are few people, however, who, if you told t... of reasoning backwards, or analytically.”

—Sherlock Holmes, *A Study in Scarlet*

So, what is the result you want? And why? Understanding these two sides of the coin is crucial.

Three Buckets of Goals

From my experience, the big goals often fall into one of three categories:

1.      Material Things: The big house, the fancy car, the holiday home.

2.      Time: More time with family, time to play, less time working—achieving balance.

3.      Appreciation: Feeling good about oneself, knowing that others respect you, and having self-worth.

People’s desires vary, and none are wrong. The key is to set a goal that is truly important to you.

The Sherlock Holmes Approach

Why not take a Sherlock Holmes approach to challenge yourself and set a real goal that matters? Whether it's business, weight loss, fitness, or another personal ambition, understanding your true motivations will set you on the path to success. 

“When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”

—Arthur Conan Doyle, *The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes*

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Make failure impossible. Keep going! You can do this!