Please pass on grand, sweeping, “overhaul”-style New Year’s resolutions. Instead, resolve to simply nudge yourself forward, bit by comfortable bit, to being your best self more often.

How? First, reflect upon what moves you. Think about what you REALLY want, not necessarily what you think would be good for or what you or others think you should do. That is why past New Year’s resolutions fell by the wayside; for whatever reason, you did not truly WANT them enough, your desire was not deep enough. So easy when I want to, so hard when I don’t. Discipline is terrific to get you going to create a habit or to get through rough spots but in the long run, Desire tends to beats out Discipline.

So sit with yourself, review all of the things you enjoy doing, think about your ambitions and plans for your life and find ways to tweak and combine them. I’ve never been much of a runner but I am competitive and I keep my commitments: when I make a social engagement to play racquetball, I’ll keep it even if I don’t feel like exercise in the moment. And when the ball comes at me, my competitive fire kicks in and I’m off to the races.

I love good food and I love dark chocolate. In my youth, I was famous for eating dessert first. However, I’ve formed the habit of stepping on the scale EVERY morning and recording my weight. That combined with a self-concept of being a fit person and a desire to live a long and healthy life have nudged me into portion control and nutritious eating.

The secret of your future is buried in your daily routine. Alter your routine, change your life. Small daily changes compound and create big delta’s over the years.

Closing Quotes:

“I think it is possible for ordinary people to choose to be extra-ordinary.” – Elon Musk

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle*

“There is very little difference between one person and another, but what little there is, is very important.” – William James, 1842-1910

“Failure is rarely a single event but rather more the result of a pattern, a few lapses in discipline here and there, a few errors, all daily repeated until the cumulative weight overwhelms a life.” – NSC

*While commonly attributed to Aristotle, these exact words (even allowing for translation) do not appear in his writings, however they are considered a valid summary of his thoughts.

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier