“There is no such thing as a quantum leap. There is only dogged persistence—and in the end you make it look like a quantum leap.” ~James Dyson

New Year's Day is one of my favorite days of the whole year.  I love to wake up, after a satisfying night spent celebrating with friends and loved ones, with a sense of purpose and a feeling of renewal.  Fresh starts are wonderful, and with the new year comes the promise of new beginnings, greater successes, and endless possibilities.  This time of year, we all write our goals and aspirations meticulously on a sheet of paper and adorn it with the title: New Year's Resolutions.

Photo courtesy of gigi_nyc

New Year's Resolutions--a phrase that has a quasi-magical connotation.  With just one sheet of paper, we can erase all our flaws, fix broken relationships, and accomplish nearly impossible tasks.  This brand of list is incredibly satisfying to write, but terribly difficult to execute.  My list looked something like this:

1. Go the gym every day
2. Practice and piano two hours a day each
3. Have thirty minutes of relaxation time every day
4. Go to bed before midnight on weekdays
5. Never say no to a new opportunity

Of course, some of these are downright unrealistic.  If any normal person took every single opportunity offered to them, there would be no time to eat or sleep (which is even a struggle most days for the average college student).  Also, if I were to accomplish goals 1, 2, and 3, goal 4 would become impossible.  

Most times the goals set under the falling, sparkling confetti at midnight on New Year's Eve are too lofty, too broad, and too idealistic.  

But, don't throw out your resolutions as soon as they fall through (usually about the third day of the new year, for me).  Look at the list you made on this New Year's Eve and pick one resolution that you were particularly excited about or motivated to accomplish, no matter how lofty the goal appears to be.  Then, write out mini checkpoints to help you toward attaining your large goal.  For, in the words of James Dyson, "There is no such thing as a quantum leap.  There is only dogged persistence--and in the end you make it look like a quantum leap." 

The major flaw with many goals, and New Year's Resolutions in particular, is the expectation of quick or immediate results and frustration when we can't clearly see some sort of concrete progress.  This is why so many people struggle with losing weight, getting their dream job, or paying off debt.  Our individual flaws sometimes seem so large to us that we don't know where to start to mend them.  And, when we finally get going on a plan, a method, or a set schedule for achieving a large goal, we become aggravated when our hard work does not yield an immediate payoff.  

These quantum leaps that we want so badly in our lives are only achievable through relentless tenacity and the courage to commit a huge sum of our time and effort to making them a reality.  Everyone else will perceive your achievement as a quantum leap, but you will perceive it with pride as the result of your own blood, sweat, and tears.

So, this week, I encourage you to look back at your list of resolutions and re-start the year, using dogged persistence to get exactly what you want out of 2016.  Happy New Year!