Another year has passed, and just like last year began with so many resolutions that were ultimately soon forgotten, many people this year will break their New Year’s resolution before they even attempt it. But why is it so hard for so many of us to accomplish our New Year’s resolution? Why has breaking our yearly promise to improve ourselves become so common it’s now a cliché, but actually succeeding at our annual goal is practically an anomaly; something that happens so infrequently it seems more like a statistical fluke than something people really do?

The word “goal” is the key to understanding why so many of us break our New Year’s resolution. We call it a resolution, but it’s really just another goal. We may set aside a special date for this special “resolution,” but surely it’s not the only goal you set for yourself over the course of an entire year. Think back on the past year and ask yourself: How many personal goals did you reach in 2012? Don’t be surprised if you can count them on one hand – provided there are any to count.

Let’s get back to the word “goal.” A goal implies a change; a change, or changes, you must make in order to move from one state of being into another. If goals were met all on their own, without any effort put forth by those who set them, well… then they wouldn’t be goals, would they? They’d just be random occurrences, coincidences, anomalies…

Goals are not difficult. In fact, they are easy. That’s why we’re so eager to dream them up and set them. Think about it for a moment… If you were magically transported from where you are now to wherever you’d like to be in the future, the transition would probably be quite smooth, and not challenging at all. Being where you want to be is not hard, getting there is. Getting there requires you to change, and change, of course, requires discipline.

The reason so many of us fail to accomplish our New Year’s resolution is because we fail to change, and we fail to change because we lack discipline and focus. Now, if this sounds like a description of you, do not worry. It doesn’t mean you are weak, or a failure, or anything of the sort. What it does mean, however, is that you have not yet trained you mind to be disciplined and focused.

You may see someone meditating, and you may think that all they are doing is sitting in a funny position with their eyes closed while they pretend they are enlightened, but what they are actually doing is training their mind to focus. They are focusing on the here and now, blocking out all of the noise and chatter coming in from thoughts of the past and future. They are also visualizing their goals, seeing themself succeeding at whatever it is they desire most.

If your New Year’s resolution for 2013 is to stop breaking New Year’s resolutions, learning how to properly practice meditation and train your mind is just the secret to success you are looking for.

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