As a new year begins, Dave Barney and Luke Olson look at why most New Year’s resolutions don’t stick. They show that failure is rarely a discipline or willpower issue. Together, they challenge the idea that goal-setting is a character test, reframing it instead as a design problem. Through research and lived experience, they explain how vague goals can undermine even the most motivated people.

Their conversation introduces mental fitness as the missing foundation for sustainable change. By exploring the three pillars of mental fitness, Dave and Luke show how small, repeatable behaviors outperform big, ambitious resolutions over time. Rather than pushing harder, they encourage listeners to build capacity first. It’s an optimistic reset for anyone who has ever felt discouraged by past goal failures, offering a smarter way forward.

Chapters
[Start] Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail: Reframing goal failure as a design and capacity issue, not a discipline problem.
04:02 The Brain, Burnout, and Internal Capacity: Why vague or overly ambitious goals often collapse.
09:22 The Three Pillars of Mental Fitness: How self-awareness, connection to others, and health and vitality support goals that actually stick.
25:10 The Importance of Micro-Goals: Breaking down goals into small, repeatable processes that shape over time.
33:24 A Practical Reset: Three reflective questions to help listeners regain momentum.

Links and Resources

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