So maybe you’ve made some New Year’s resolutions. Or set some goals.

AND, you’ve decided: This year is going to be different. This year, you’re not going to quit. This year, you’re going to keep going. This year you’re going to follow through.

You’ve decided that you’re NOT going to let another year slide by!

You’ve actually written down your goals. You’ve wired in some new disciplines; you’ve established some new practices. Maybe you’ve even put in place some systems of support.

That’s awesome. Good on you!

But before you get all puffed up about your efforts, let me ask you a critical question: WHY are you doing what you say you want to be doing? Why have you made those resolutions? Why have you set the goals you’ve set?

Your ‘WHY’ is a critical component in determining whether you will be successful in the year ahead. Without a clear exciting purpose, without a compelling ‘why,’ you WILL fail.

You see, we are only motivated by two forces: pain; and pleasure. And for most of us, we need at least a modicum of pain (or a kick in the you know what) to move us out of our comfort zones… even if they are not terribly comfortable. A certain level of misery is necessary to move us out of a bad relationship or out of a job with a terrible boss or out of a financial situation that’s just not working.

But to sustain forward progress, we need to have a clear vision; we need to be able to see something compelling and promising, something alluring and exciting, just beyond the horizon. We need that ‘pull’ in order to overcome the resistance, surmount the odds and go the distance.

And our ‘whys’ need to be ours; and ours alone.

Do you know your ‘WHY?’ If you don’t, STOP right now. Take some time; get clear.

And then, when you really know your ‘why,’ it is essential to ask yourself this question: Are you truly committed to your goals? Or are you just interested?

There’s an old military adage that if you want to ‘take’ the island, you’ve got to burn the boats. You need to cut off all means of retreat.

If you’re really going to succeed, you’ve got to be ‘all in.’ You must have the mindset that you will go the distance, no matter what.

This is the rocket fuel of goal setting and goal achievement: Being all in, completely invested, cutting all means of escape back to your old bad self. To really succeed, you must have the level of commitment that says: “I will do whatever I need to do to get there. No matter what.”

There’s that old story about the relative contributions of the pig and the chicken to a breakfast of bacon and eggs. The chicken is ‘interested.’ The pig committed.

So are you committed to your outcomes this year? Or just merely interested?

Be the pig. Go all in.