Concentrating all your willpower is the hardest way to stick to your goals – yet we do it all the time.

Deep down we know that we were meant for something more than a run-of-the-mill existence, so we listen to motivational coaches; we read self-help blogs; we write our goals down; we create an action plan. And… nothing happens.

The more we ‘motivate’ ourselves and stay consistent, the greater our mind and body resist it. The more we try to convince ourselves, to persuade, to reason – the more likely we will put things off. The more we rely on willpower, the harder it gets.

It’s one thing to stomach the fact that you failed to follow-through with the goal you knew you could achieve. But it’s another thing to justify this to your friends, co-workers and family members.

I remember how embarrassed I felt every time my friends asked me "Are you still going to the gym?” or “How is your book coming along?”

Even if you know that you’ve been busy, saying it out loud sounds like you are trying to justify the lack of results. And, let’s be honest, being busy is an excuse. Because everyone has 24 hours a day and we’re not busier than any other guy or gal out there who actually goes to the gym, or takes Spanish language classes, or writes a blog.

A game-changing study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research (2012), may hold the key to sticking to healthy habits and avoiding unhealthy ones.

In the experiment, a number of working women were asked to sign up for a “health and wellness seminar” and were then divided into two groups:

Group 1 wasn’t given any specific instructions, except…