The Cairns series · Part 2
Why We Quit
Most goals die in the middle. Research found that enjoying the journey, not how much the goal mattered, predicted who stuck with it.
Video coming soonThe script
What keeps you going? For me, it’s this. Most goals don’t die at the start. They die in the middle. At the start, motivation is easy. Everything’s new and you can already picture the view.
A few weeks in, the excitement wears off. Your summit hasn’t moved and neither have you. Researchers followed people’s New Year’s resolutions. How much the goal mattered didn’t predict who stuck with it. How much they enjoyed the journey to the goal did.
Willpower fades, importance fades. You need something good on the way up. So how do you enjoy a climb that takes months? Most people try a reward at the top. That’s the trap.