Exercising willpower is painful, and we can’t rely on having enough of it to sustain us for the months it takes for the new standard to become easy to meet. From the start, we can’t wait to be done with our campaign of self-restriction, so we fall (or dive) off the wagon, and maybe try again in a few months.

All of this leads us to the same quandary every time. Setting goals isn’t hard. Achieving them is hard because, as far as your brain is concerned, radical change is a potential threat. When we look at change this way, we begin to see the light at the end of a very dark tunnel. In your own life, this may show up as glimpses of answers to some naggin

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