(January 26, 2010) — As December rolls around I start thinking about my goals for the upcoming year, and I make a new year’s resolution list in my mind, and hope to complete it. But like most people, I put off some of my goals. For the past four years, running the marathon has made my list of “tasks to complete.” With this being said, you can figure I still have not achieved this task. So my question is, what does it take to complete a new year’s resolution? Is it passion for the goal, or just plain determination? I think everyone’s motivation is different. Some want to lose weight, so that they could coach their child’s sport team, and others to be healthy. But the key to achieve a goal is not the motivation, but the steps and overall plan one takes to achieve it. Some people, including me, super size their goals to an unrealistic level, while failing to acknowledge the steps needed to achieve such goals. Take my goal, for example: running a marathon. Regardless of my motivations, by the middle of the year, I am so overwhelmed with school and daily activities, that I always convince myself that it would be better if I ran it the next year. The problem is that people overlook the necessary steps needed to achieve their goal. Individuals must understand that there are details and specific measures they must complete in order obtain their ideal desire. The thought of getting a gold completion medal sounds awesome, but actually running 27.2 miles is a torture. My goal seems to be an impractical one. Instead, I should probably start out with something more downsized like running three miles every day to train for the run. Running is just one of the many goals with tiers you need to overcome one step at a time.