“Surely you desire truth in the inner parts, you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” -Psalm 51:6

It’s the time of year where we all assess where we’re at and look forward to the New Year anticipating personal changes. A fresh start usually inspires us to try some new disciplines. We resolve to eat better, exercise more, get organized, call home more often, work less, worry less, put down our phones to be present, and so on.

Our mind is willing to try new things, but we inevitably find ourselves in mid-February stuck in our old routines. A 2007 study by Richard Wiseman from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Years Resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% were confident of success at the beginning.

Why are resolutions so hard? I think it has to do with understanding ourselves. Most of us aren’t self-aware. We don’t understand why we do what we do.