My gym is packed.

You would think there is a doorbuster sale. There isn’t. New Years Resolutions are in full effect. Too bad most will fail. 80% abandon their goals by March. 92% will give up before crossing their finish line.

Are these people insincere, lacking willpower or missing vital tools and techniques? I find that hard to believe. They all seem to care about their health. Why else would they be at a gym during a vacation? It’s a great gym. All the tools to sculpt and tone are readily available. Classes galore, from Barre to Spinning. Skilled trainers too.

Mindset is the issue.

Ambitious and motivated people (the type of people who show up to a gym on holiday) tend to tackle a new year with a set of big goals or resolutions. The act of goal setting creates a massive amount of energy. Thinking about a mission fills one with anticipation and excitement. This energy creates a flurry of activity. So, what’s the problem? Isn’t movement good? Yes and no.

Most things worth doing take time. Motivation that is driven by fixation on a big goal never lasts. 200 squats every day this week but none for the remainder of the year won’t do a darn thing for your rear-end. There needs to be an ongoing flow of energy to stick with something after 80% of people have given up. This energy does not come from dwelling on the future. Lasting motivation only shows up in the present moment.

So here is the trick. Actually, it’s not a trick; it’s the truth.

Instead of fixating on your goal, get oriented in a general direction. Want to be healthier, grow your business, improve something else? What direction do you want your life to move in? Great. Get clear on what that is and why it matters. Then, shift your focus to the next 24 hours. How can you act on that? Repeat daily.

Don’t worry about building habits or a new “operating system” for your life. These are just a clever ways to focus on outcomes instead of the efforts you can make today. If we are continually dwelling on the future how can we ever create our masterpiece?

Focus on your daily activity. It’s in the fire of present-focused action that procrastination is incinerated and motivation is realized. Turns out that we have all the motivation we need at any given moment. So get to it.