The Only New Years Resolution You'll Ever Need

One Resolution to Rule Them All

Hey Y’all,

It’s a brand new year, and I’ve been busy scheming how I plan to make 2024 everything I thought 2023 was supposed to be. Reflecting on Ole ‘23, I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong. Which habits lead to the most problems and which behaviors lead to the best outcomes. 

Those who know me in person have heard me say (read: been annoyed by me repeating), “I don’t major in minors.”

This little phrase has been a north star for me whenever I feel overwhelmed and behind the curve, which was a majority of the previous year. What I mean when I say this is, “Focus on high-leverage tasks and don’t sweat over the small stuff.” It’s my take on Paretto’s Principle.

Paretto’s Principle states “80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes, asserting an unequal relationship between inputs and outputs.”

Every time I’ve applied this, I achieved much more than my anxiety-riddled reptile brain would previously allow me to believe.

In practice, this means understanding 20% of the input leads to 80% of the result. For example, a thousand things go into building an amazing physique. Frequency of exercise, amount of resistance, which supplements to take, what shoes to wear, kettlebells vs. barbells vs. calisthenics vs. machines, HIIT cardio vs. Solid State Cardio, time of day, training fasted or unfasted, etc it gets incredibly overwhelming very fast.

But if you decided to major in majors as opposed to neurotically focusing on everything, which TBH will cause you to burn out and ditch your endeavor entirely, you would know only three things matter the most. 1) Showing up to the gym enough days during the week, 2) Cutting out as much bad food as possible, and 3) Getting enough sleep. 

Disclaimer, I’m not a licensed fitness coach, but I’d bet a shit load of money that if you apply yourself 100% to these three areas you’d see more progress in a shorter amount of time than anything else you’ve tried this far AND mentally you’d have so much more real estate available for all the other things in your life.

Okay, so you get the idea, now why is this important? 

Because as I sat there writing a list of my New Year's resolutions, I realized something after I’d written my 10th line item...This is too much shit.

I was going to drive myself insane trying to mentally juggle all these aspirations, I needed something that was a catch-all and would lead to serious results. Then three days later, I received an idea in the same fashion as so many geniuses before me. While listening to a podcast in the shower.

My New Year's resolution is: Don’t Break My Word.

I chuckled when the idea hit me because it seemed so mundane and a bit underwhelming, but the more I’ve sat on this, the more I realized it would lead to changes that would pay more dividends than investing in Tesla 10 years ago.

Change #1: I’d Stop Giving My Word So Easily

One of my biggest downfalls in 2023 was I said yes to everything. I would give my word out like CVS gives flu shots, and then without fail, I’d be so overrun by commitments that I’d start procrastinating on and avoiding everything. Especially the things I genuinely wanted to do. It ate up all of my free time and mental availability, leaving me burnt, tired, frustrated, and riddled with guilt. 

Change #2: Whatever I do commit to, I must follow through

If I resolve to stay 100% committed to my word, that means I better be very damn clear on what I’m committing to. I have to take time to be intentional about taking on new tasks to ensure I don’t get stuck doing something that doesn’t move the needle. 

Change #3: Make Lasting Change

Lastly, nothing changes if nothing changes, and If I'm committed to my commitments, change is inevitable. I set the stage where I will always win…eventually.

2024 is here, and I think the best way to get more is to commit to less, so cheers to all my subscribers who are reading my first post of the New Year, keep watch. More to Come!