In the past, how many times have you decided, “Alright, this time, I’m going to do it!”?
And out of those times, how many have you stayed consistent, and how many have you given up on?
In my previous blog, I talked about how the first step toward change is simply making a decision.
I shared the story of how my mom finally visited me to Canada as an example.
This time, I want to talk more about longer-term goals.
For instance, goals like “I want to quit snacking” or “I want to exercise more” require consistency and aren’t always easy to achieve.
I’ve personally reflected on my past failures and tried to understand why some people succeed while others don’t.
What I realized is that the key factor that determines whether you achieve your goal is the value and meaning of the goal for yourself.
And to understand that value, you have to ask yourself why you want/need this goal.
Why “I Want to Lose Weight” Wasn’t Enough for Me
I used to think, “I want to lose weight” all the time, but my reasons weren’t strong enough.
For example: “Maybe I’ll feel more confident.” or “Maybe I’ll be more attractive if I’m thin.”
Oh, shame on me! Lol These reasons were way too shallow!
But this time, when my goal shifted from “I want to lose weight” to “I want to take care of my health!”, I was suddenly able to maintain my diet changes and excercise routine effortlessly.
This shift happened because I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and started confronting past trauma.
I made a strong decision: “I don’t want to harm myself anymore. I want to take care of myself from now on!”
My illness became the turning point that made “prioritizing my health” the most valuable goal in my life.
Before, “losing weight” was just a wish, not a true goal.
Even if two people have the same goal – like “I want to lose weight” – the ones who succeed are those who have a powerful reason and/or meaningful story behind it.
While my focus no longer by weight but my health, and after consistently putting in the effort, I recently noticed a real change in my body fat percentage.
The results naturally follows our actions!
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Last
I believe this is the same reason why New Year’s resolutions often fail.
Every year, I used to tell myself, “This year, I’ll go to the gym!”—only to give up soon after.
Why? Because the reason behind my decision was simply “because it’s New Year’s”! Lol
Now you can laugh, this is terrible -but honest- reason to start something! Lol
If I had truly felt the need to go to the gym, I wouldn’t have waited for January 1st to start.
By the way, my gym is always packed with new faces in January, but by February, it’s back to the usual crowd.
Then, those new faces reappear again in early summer.
I believe it’s comon on the earth Lol
A Quick Note on Goal Setting
Besides having a strong reason, another crucial factor in goal setting is specificity.
I won’t go into too much detail here since it’s slightly off-topic, but let’s touch on it briefly to avoid any misunderstandings.
For example, simply saying “I want to lose weight this year!” is too vague.
It’s no surprise if you fail without any details such as “By when?”, “How will you measure?”, “How will you know if you achieved?”, becasue you even can’t know how to start yet!
A helpful framework for setting goals is the S.M.A.R.T. method:
S.M.A.R.T
Specific：Is your goal specific?
Measurable：How will you track your progress? How will you know when you achieve?
Actionable/Achievable：Is it within your control? Is it something chellnges you but possible to achieve?
Realistic：Is it realistic? Is it relevent/meaningful?
Time Defined：By when?
But today’s blog isn’t about New Year’s resolutions and goal settings.
So, I’ll save a deeper dive into S.M.A.R.T. goals for another time.
For now,
If you want to change your current situation → First, make a decision!
If your goal has a clear outcome → Use the S.M.A.R.T. method to define your goal!
No matter what, the key is understanding why you want to achieve your goal – its value.
Dig Deep Into Your “Why”
Before moving to Canada, I worked as a mechanical engineer at a major machine tool manufacturer in Aichi, Japan, for eight years.
In manufacturing, I loved using a problem-solving method called “5 Whys”, which originated from Toyota.
This technique involves asking “Why?” five times to get to the root cause of a problem.
It’s not about sticking to exactly five times, but rather about digging deep enough to uncover the real reason behind an issue.
If you don’t analyze the root cause, you’ll never truly solve the problem.
I continued using it during my four years working in Canada.
This problem-solving mindset naturally carried over to how I set my personal goals.
Instead of settling for surface-level answers, I made sure to fully understand my reasons.
A goal that is doomed to fail from the start is a waste of effort!
What’s Next?
Besides having a strong reason, emotions also play a crucial role in achieving goals.
I’ll talk about that in another post!
Let’s take a moment to reflect on your own goals and decisions!
What’s the difference between the goals you’ve successfully achieved and those you’ve given up on?
What was your reason when you set each of those goals?
How valuable was each goal to you?
And if you have a new challenge ahead, take some time to think about them too!
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