Excerpts from Following Through

...We uncovered a fundamental truth about the human mind - a basic fact that's ignored by the myriads of self-improvement experts and programs that invite us in, excite our hopes, and then leave us flat. We found out why we humans so often get nothing but disappointment in return for the sizable investment we make in self-improvement; why we so often allow our very best goals and plans to get lost in the shuffle and fade away; why we always seem to have more wisdom than we use.

We learned that, contrary to conventional wisdom, poor follow through is not caused primarily by a lack of willpower, insufficient motivation, low self-esteem, fear of success, or deep, dark character defects. We learned that poor follow through is not our fault! It's caused, amazingly, by the paradoxical way the human mind is designed.

...Surprisingly, the mind has no built-in way to keep intentions - no matter how important they are - in the driver's seat. The ironic result is that the very same mind that produces intentions often fails to take them seriously.