Empty words and the cost of betterment.
My issue is with those making excuses for failure when success is absolutely achievable; not easily achievable, but viable nonetheless. Losing interest in a goal or admitting it's too difficult is fine, but those that claim that the world is conspiring against them are those who deserve the failure they experience.
It seems like every day I hear about someone wanting to do something: lose weight, get fit, read a book, volunteer. The common themes are that it a) requires at least a bit of effort, and b) "improves" the individual in some regard. And yet their resolution never comes to fruition. Those "pesky" ten pounds are still stuck on and refuse to come off despite doing everything possible; that best-selling book they wanted to read has been gathering dust for months now and their eyes haven't given it a glance since they bought it; the dogs at the pound they ogled at and vowed to walk continue to walk themselves in circles in their cage, waiting for a shred of physical human interaction, not Instagram comments talking about how "cute" they are.
These resolutions are empty. They also prompt a few questions. Why make the resolutions in the first place? Why not follow through when there is obvious benefit for completing the resolution?
Signaling is the obvious yet satisfactory answer to the first question.
People want to be seen as attractive, both physically and mentally (i.e., values, personality, etc). Putting out a signal that you are starting on a challenging journey says a couple of things about yourself.
First, you want to "better" yourself. You are going to put yourself through a regimen of exercise and low-fat foods for uncomfortable months on end, just so you can look good in those new clothes or at the beach.
Second, this shows discipline, another attractive trait. You have your stuff together. You may have let your weight run a little wild, but you're aware and are going to do something about it pronto.
Sadly, failure is not something most think of when signaling, nor does the audience receiving the signal. Like politics, victories are rarely verified by the audience or cared about by the signaler. Whether or not the initial goal was accomplished is irrelevant. The only thing that matters is that the person wanted to do it and, in some cases, gave it a shot.
And yet the resolution never comes to fruition. Despite all the good it would bring to the person's life, the case that actually ends up complete is rare.
The answer to the second question is in the "a)" theme: effort. All of these aspirations require effort, some larger than others. It takes effort to say no to that piece of cake during the office party. It takes effort to wake up before work to exercise. It takes effort to stop browsing social media and read a book (wait, really?). It takes effort to give up a Saturday for unpaid volunteer work.
People nowadays look for magic pills, short cuts, and free lunches. They are obsessed with the YouTube videos titled "[X] tips to get [Y] in [Z] months". The same videos that falsely promise a secret to the final product, and the consumer naively eats up every word and then wonders why they aren't at that level [Z] months later.
Newsflash! Achieving goals is challenging. It's going to be uncomfortable. Progress is not linear, and sure as hell isn't exponential. Failure is likely (and sometimes even encouraged for learning's sake—some lessons can't be taught any other way) in a majority of these types of endeavors, but the failing itself is irrelevant. What matters is the response to failure. Will you cower in the fetal position and gripe about how this always happens to you? Or will you take the blow and continue to chip away at the blocks that separate you from the final goal?
Ignorance on how to accomplish goals in this day and age is unacceptable. The amount of resources available for free is astounding. No internet? Go to the library and use their free internet. No money for a gym membership? Go look at a bodyweight fitness routine that requires minimal equipment. No idea on how to start losing weight? A simple Google search yields some tips, all of which revolve around eating less.
The pictures are used to show that getting better is often hard, unenjoyable work. You sweat, gasp for air, deprive yourself of delicious food, endure hunger for hours on end, go to bed early instead of going out with friends, say no to that second glass of wine, and so on.
Discomfort is the cost of betterment. Are you prepared to pay it, or will you continue to spew empty words?