As we ring out 2023 and welcome in 2024 many people (me included) are busy making New Year’s Resolutions. You know the type: I’m going to go to the gym more often, I’m going to increase my income, I’m going to spend more time on myself.

Do New Year’s resolutions work?

Yes. And No.

What? Don’t be a jerk CJ – “Yes. And No” could be the answer to any question.

I know, but it’s true. Saying something does put it out there “to the universe” as the “think and it’ll happen” people will say. But thinking something without a plan of action doesn’t work.

If your goal is to lose 25 pounds – that’s a great goal and your body will thank you. But stating your goal as “lose 25 lbs” is meaningless unless you also develop a plan to make that happen.

Make a plan

A better way to state it would be “I’m going to lose 25 lbs at a rate of about 1 lb a week by adhering to a specific eating regime (more on this later), joining and going to the gym at least 2 twice a week for an hour each time, by walking 20 minutes every single day and by eliminating sugared sodas (or other unhealthy item) from my diet completely.

Do you see the difference? Start with the bold “Resolution” – then dive in with the specific steps you’re going to take to get to that resolution or goal. WRITE IT DOWN. Set a timetable. Make it reasonable and achievable (losing 25 lbs is more achievable than losing 75 lbs). Break it down into daily and weekly steps that you’re going to take. And most of all… FOLLOW THROUGH.

Read the last two words of the previous paragraph again. Follow through is the most important – and difficult – part of every goal or resolution.

Now get to writing those resolutions – and I do mean WRITE THEM down. Mark them off as you achieve them – amend them – add the actions you’re going to take to achieve those goals. Without writing them down you are not committing to them. Write them in a note on your phone. Make them the background of your computer desktop. Tape a copy to the mirror. Remind yourself of what you’re trying to achieve this year on a daily basis. This is the difference between dreaming about something and committing to it.

COMMIT. ACHIEVE.

And don’t forget to put FUN things into your goals. Plan a vacation. Plan on at least once a month having lunch with that friend you’ve been meaning to catch up with. Plan on attending that festival you’ve always talked about going to or seeing that band you’ve been wanting to see.

Most of all – have a great 2024 and I hope that our paths will cross again sometime during the year.

CJ Johnson – January 2, 2024.

PS. Here’s my friend, coauthor, and former business partner, Brian Brushwood talking about… why New Year’s Resolutions are Dumb. It’s 4 minutes long. Give it a watch – he probably says it better than I do – plus you don’t have to read as much. He talks about a “stretch goal of 200K YouTube subscribers (this was 10 years ago) His current number of subscribers is 1.9 million! So clearly he’s doing something right.