I think the whole idea of New Year’s resolutions is a new determination to do something we assess we need to change or work on in our lives.

Resolutions are by definition a firm determination to try an address or solve a problem.  To be resolute in your purpose means being unwavering and making decisions that we stick to steadfastly.  Steadfastness is firm and immovable in our purpose.

So if we call them resolutions why do we so often fail?

Are we really being resigned to our situation and just accept those things we don’t think we can change?

Certainly we have to be resigned to being a certain height and can’t make a successful resolution to become taller.  But why are some people successful in making resolutions to lose weight while others are just resigned to being heavier?  Losing weight is not easy.  There could be medical reasons that make it near impossible to achieve.  And yet I think the answer has something to do with their resoluteness and determination to succeed.

Have you ever watched the young?  They try things we know won’t work, but they don’t have any prior experience to tell them it’s not possible.  In this process they sometimes prove things can be accomplished that were before thought to be impossible.

Thus the old saying you don’t know until you try.

Most times when people try things the ones that succeed are the ones who keep trying even after they fail.

Failure for them is just an experiment where they learned something from the failure.  They apply what they learned in their next attempt.  They don’t give up even when discouraged.  They are determined to succeed no matter how many attempts or how long it takes.

These people are resolute in their attempts to succeed and thus eventually achieve success.  The rest of us are just resigned to our current situations.