You know how sometimes I get into something completely unrelated to the topic before I actually get into the topic? I'll do it again. The power went out in my house last night and I completely blew my first date (I live with my alarm clock...that's right, clocks in plural) and while I rushed to the bathroom to take a shower (for don't miss my second date) I stepped in cat poop. Apparently I turned off the waste access before going to bed last night. If you know anything about cat poop, then you know that it's probably the most horrible smell ever. At least he pooped in the bathroom. Ok to the resolutions. I'm a fan of resolutions and I know that most of them aren't kept, but at least they can serve as a reminder of what we would like to change. There are many reasons why resolutions or commitments we make to ourselves for change at any time of the year sometimes fail; Today we're going to look at a big barrier: motivation. Motivation is a complex thing: it comes and goes; the thing that helps him one day may end up hurting him the next. There are a few things you may want to keep in mind when making a commitment to change and during the implementation process. Reasonable Responsibility Some people have difficulty taking responsibility for their actions, and life can provide us with ample opportunities to bail out our commitments. Depression, anxiety, change in routine, bad parents, trauma, finances… all of these things can be reasons why change is more difficult, but they shouldn't serve as an excuse to give up. We can recognize that these obstacles make the journey more difficult, but the obstacles are not impenetrable and, unlike the Olympics, there are really no r...... middle of paper......, walking around all day telling yourself, what a lousy employee you are isn't going to help you. You may not have been employee of the month 30 times in a row like your coworker Brad (it's always a guy named Brad) but that doesn't mean you were terrible at your job or that everything you did was miserable. You are even more than your job, you could be a great parent, wife, volunteer or masked crusader motivated by their complicated past who uses the cover of darkness and a mysterious identity to connect lost hermit crabs with their homes. Anything. There's good in you...you're only getting better. So obviously my New Year's resolution is to lose weight; I encourage you to figure out what change you want to make and commit to making it happen—we'll mess up together along the way, but we can get there, and we'll be better for trying. Happy New Year and thanks for checking in!