It’s a common practice to set goals and the beginning of a new year. It feels like an opportunity for a fresh start and a chance to make a positive impact on the world around us while becoming physically, mentally, and emotionally healthier than we were the year before.

Unfortunately, when trying to achieve these new goals, many people find themselves in a fight with…well, themselves. If you beat yourself up for your shortcomings, it becomes even harder to bounce back and achieve what you originally set out to achieve.

There is a smarter way to go about setting goals and following through. One reason failure often occurs when setting goals (which generally requires creating new habits) is that the ambitions outweigh their sustainability.

For example, if you say you...