Happy New Year!

And welcome to the month of January, the month where people make all sorts of “resolutions” to achieve their “New Year, New Me” goals. But an overwhelming majority of people give up on those “resolutions” shockingly quickly. The motivation dissipates, and they fall back into their old, comfortable routines.

I have often said that I refuse to make New Year’s Resolutions. This is not because I think I’m perfect, but because I really don’t like the “New Year, New Me!” culture that often surrounds these resolutions.

Sure, most of us (probably all of us) have some things about our lives and our habits that we’d like to change, but that doesn’t mean that we need to fundamentally change who we are as people.

Furthermore, I am of the mind that if there really is something you’d like to change about your life, do it now. Don’t wait for some arbitrary date (i.e. tomorrow, Monday, January 1) to make a change. Time is a construct anyway…

Why do New Year’s Resolutions fail? At the beginning of January, motivation is high, and people are sincere in their desire to make a change. But then life happens. It’s cold and rainy outside. Work is particularly draining. And maybe we are just tired and want to lay on the couch and watch Netflix.

Anyone who is a consistent gym-goer knows that (at least in normal times) the gym is way more busy in early January, and then by the end of the month, the crowd at the gym is reduced the the same people who have always been there.

And the truth is, changing habits is HARD. And motivation is short lived.

I won’t go quite as far as to say “motivation is a lie,” but I kind of think it is. DISCIPLINE is what is needed to build new habits and effect long term change, especially when it comes to establishing new habits or breaking old ones.

You need to make a plan. If there ARE some goals you’d like to achieve this year, WRITE THAT SHIT DOWN. Hold yourself accountable. And follow through.

Try this: set a SMART goal. (I’ve used one of my goals for an example.)

S: Specific (I want to increase my deadlift to 400# from my current max of 350#.)

M: Measurable (The weight on the barbell doesn’t lie.)

A: Attainable (With dedicated training, this goal is achievable.)

R: Relevant or Rewarding (Yes. Deadlifting 400# will be very rewarding.)

T: Time-bound (I want to do this within the calendar year.)

Write your goals down and put them somewhere you will see them every day. I’ve posted my lifting goals on side of my fridge, and I’ve also written them in my training log.

What do you want to accomplish in 2021? Post your goals to comments, and ask your coach for help if you need it! Making your goals public is a great way to get some added accountability!