It would’ve been fantastic if new years miraculously marked new beginnings.
But 2020, 2021 and 2022 remind us that similar things are happening.
The timing, circumstances and actors may vary. But a discerning mind will spot the patterns.
Global events will continue on their volatile path, and more people will realise just how little they control in the grand scheme.
Well, except for two things, their own actions and opinions.
Now, you’re in 2023. And several voices you revere have told you it’s a special year.
You believe it!
Your hopes are high!
That’s why you set goals. Big goals!
I’m happy for you.
By the way, how’re your goals coming?
Have you fallen by the wayside like the 81% of people who won’t achieve their goals this year?
Or are you still part of the 54 per cent that’ll drop off in June?
Look, I don’t mean to tease you.
I mean well for you.
But if you give new goals to the same person, the outcomes won’t differ.
That’s why I’ll give you three short pieces of advice in my opening message to you this year. Then I’ll leave you a priceless resource at the bottom.
Step closer:
Focus on daily inputs.
A year is made up of 365 days.
Each day has 24 hours and those hours have 60 minutes ticking away.
A fruitful year is a compendium of fruitful days and hours.
Most teams play matches to win. But no team spends all its time watching the scoreboard.
No, they sweat it out on the pitch and the results show on the scoreboard.
When they focus on playing the game well, “the score takes care of itself.”
Your goals/dreams/hopes are valid. But don’t get carried away with big goals.
Once you’ve mustered the courage to articulate what you want, go back down and focus on the hours and days leading up to your big moment.
Want to make your first million? Buy your own house? Relocate? Get married? Ace your exams? Earn a certification? Build a community?
Fix the inputs and the output will fix itself.
Learn to manage stress.
The most significant factors of our success and failures are underground.
I recall a story from Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit.
In typical Iraq, violence follows a pattern.
First, a crowd of Iraqis gather in a plaza or other open space and swell in size as the hours tick.
Food vendors would show up, as well as spectators. Then, someone would throw a bottle or rock and all hell would break loose.
When a US major was brought in to arrest this pattern, he didn’t ask for more troops or heavier weaponry.
He asked that they keep the food vendors out of the plazas.
“Keep them as far away as possible,” he said.
A few weeks later, when a small crowd gathered near the Great Mosque of Kufa, the pattern kicked in.
After the afternoon prayers, the crowd grew in size.
Some people started chanting angry slogans. Sensing danger, Iraqi police went on high alert.
At sunset, the crowd started getting hungry and restless.
They scouted around for the kebab sellers who often attend protests like these.
They found none!
The police had warded off all food vendors from the perimeter but left the protesters.
After sunset, the spectators returned home.
The protesters grew weak.
By 8 p.m., everyone was gone!
No shots were fired. No lives were lost. Just food vendors kept at bay.
Like those food vendors, studies show that stress is a significant fuel for poor habits.
So, keep your stress levels low if you want to build new habits in 2023 and replace old ones.
How?
The usual way most people know but don’t do: adequate sleep, regular exercise, meditation, controlled screen time, good relationships and healthy eating habits.
“You’re more likely to engage in habits you don’t want to do when you are stressed,” studies show.
Do your most important tasks shortly after waking up.
Why? Your willpower, which is a finite resource, is higher then.
Plan your life by the hour
A fruitful year is a compendium of fruitful days made up of fruitful hours.
Now, I’m not selling you the 24/7-grind hustle culture.
No one is productive 24/7; even the best productivity gurus.
I’m saying build an accountability system around your life.
If you attract success by who you’re becoming, then becoming a person of order makes you attractive to success.
Why is this crucial?
Two factors: Consistency and Predictability.
What are you going to do within your first hour of waking up?
What will you do within the last hour before retiring to bed?
On waking up, do you meditate, read, listen to something positive, exercise or write in your journal?
Before bed, do you avoid screens, meditate, write in a journal or prepare your to-do list for the next day?
Do you have focused hours for deep work during your day?
How about time to connect with family and friends?
What gets scheduled gets done.
Even if you run the most unpredictable schedule, studies and experience show that a predictable wake-up and sleeping routine can ease your life in a big way.
“But Stephen, why are you so caught up in the small, daily stuff? Shouldn’t we focus on the big picture?”
I understand you.
But the big picture also has pixels. And private victories birth public victories.
Your big goals are at the mercy of your mindset and habits.
It doesn’t matter where you are now. If you’re on a great path, congratulations already.
Happy New Year!
Here’s the resource I promised you.
