Why Good Intentions Fail

(c) 2026 Luis A. Marrero. Boston Institute for Meaningful Purpose

Many of the people I work with are thoughtful, capable, and deeply well-intentioned.

And yet, again and again, they find themselves asking the same question: Why didn’t this last?

We often assume that when change fails, the cause is a lack of effort, commitment, or motivation. Sometimes we blame discipline. Sometimes resistance. Sometimes “human nature.”

But over time, I’ve come to see a different pattern.

When intentions are sincere, but outcomes collapse, the problem is rarely effort. It is usually an unexamined meaning.

What people believe is happening, what they believe about themselves and others, what they take to matter, and what they ultimately aim for—these quietly shape every decision that follows.

When meaning is unclear or distorted, even good intentions become unstable.

Change doesn’t fail because people don’t care. It fails because the meaning guiding action was never fully examined.