One instance of thought does not define us. Live by a process of thought. It is the process of thought that makes us who we are and what we will become. Commit.

Have you decided what you will dedicate 2023 to yet?

Resolutions can be great. They start us down a fresh path to health or well-being. Sometimes they lead to success. But how many success stories begin and end in the same year? Ok, maybe not end. How many successful people set and achieve a worthwhile goal in one year?

This is the year I lose 30 pounds. This is the year I spend more time with family. This is the year I start a business. This is the year I… What will it be next?

How many of those “this is the year I” sentences could also end with quit, stopped, or discontinued? There are few things worth committing to that are started and achieved within one year. I’d argue that short-sighted goals are the baseline for the stories of those who actually end their sentences with quit, stopped, or discontinued. If the commitment is not worthwhile our subconscious will eventually get distracted and choose another path, goal, or dream.

Why is it so rare to commit to something like: this is the decade I…? Some may attribute it to today’s desire for instant gratification. Others simply choose not to project into such a distant future; “live each day as if it were your last,” or something like that. It all comes back to the process of thought.

Clark Hull was an American psychologist who sought to explain motivation and learning by scientific laws of behavior. His drive-reduction theory stated that organisms learn only from a response to “drive stimuli” in which a response is generated from a form of tension. The tension, and its environment in which the organism experiences it, results in behavior and decision making based on association. This behavior, what we consider decisions, overcomes other options because of its associative cues to tension, according the Hull.

I had to read that a couple times to truly grasp what Hull was saying. When things happen to us or we decide to do something, we associate the experience with certain emotions and thoughts and base our actions on them. When we commit to a resolution for 2023, there is already an end date. When we experience pushback or adversity it feels complicated and difficult. The end of 2023 creates a termination date that puts a deadline on our process for achieving our goals. Combine challenges with an end date and the road ahead will feel very long.

How would you reframe your goals and the actions you take to accomplish them if you gave yourself two years to work toward them? How about 5, 10, or 15 years?

On January 16, 2024 you will be very glad you started working toward your goals today. On January 16, 2027 you will be very glad you continued working toward them. Finally, on January 16, 2029 you will be ecstatic that you continued working and finally accomplished what you set out to do on this Monday morning in 2023.

Create a list with your goal at the top. Work backwards from the top down. Set deadlines for tasks but give yourself the time and grace to explore and work toward the final destination.

As I have mentioned in previous articles, people and action plans contradict themselves. I started this newsletter, a process of thought, by saying you should not burden yourself with short term deadlines for your worthwhile goals. Today’s takeaway: Worthwhile goals can take a lifetime and are difficult to put on a timeline. Hold yourself accountable by committing to manageable tasks that can be accomplished by deadlines of your choosing. Stay consistent and keep going.

Start now. Good luck. Enjoy the process!