Set Yourself Up for A Successful Year

Did you know that, according to commonly cited statistics, 80% of people give up on their New Year’s resolutions by mid-February? And only 8% succeed in maintaining them for the entire year.

Read more if you want to be among those 8%.

But hold on—do you really need to set goals for the year ahead? Let’s dig into why we humans have a deep-seated need to set goals in the first place. It’s not because “everyone does it.” Human beings are wired to strive, grow, and improve. This drive for betterment helped our ancestors survive millions of years ago and continues to shape us today.

It propels us to explore possibilities beyond our current realities, whether by mastering new skills to feel and function better or developing innovative solutions to improve the world. In other words, goals fill your life with purpose, whether it’s self-improvement, contributing to society, or achieving something personally meaningful.

Now, you might wonder: If goals are so important to our nature, why do we struggle so much to stick to them? Let’s tackle this one step at a time.

Dig Deeper to Identify Your Real Goal

Have you set your goal correctly? At first glance, desires like “sleep better,” “become more efficient,” or “eat healthier” sound like solid goals. But these are often surface-level desires—they’re missing the deeper connection between who you are now and who you want to become. Without that deeper understanding, you can feel lost in the middle of your journey, unsure why you’re even doing it.

Pause for a moment and think. What’s your real goal? What’s driving your desire to change?

Here’s an example. I’m a health and performance coach, and one of my clients wanted help refining his nutrition habits. But as we explored further, we realized that his real issue wasn’t just about eating better—it was about how he felt throughout his day. He relied heavily on willpower, which drained his energy, affected his work, and left him feeling sluggish and disconnected from others.

His true goal was much deeper: to wake up energized, laser-focused, and excited about his work, ultimately bringing his company to a place where it could contribute to society. When we uncovered his real goal, everything shifted. Nutrition was just one part of the bigger picture. Once he understood the deeper “why,” he became more fired up and committed to the work.

Here’s something most people don’t realize: When you correctly identify your goal, you start seeing the big picture. You get clarity not only on what you want but also on what you need to achieve it.

Filling Your Toolbox—What Are You Missing?

Now that you’ve identified your real goal, the next step is figuring out what tools you’re missing. Everything you’ve done up until now has gotten you to where you are. But moving forward requires something more—new skills, knowledge, and strategies. This is where curiosity comes in. Staying curious and ready to explore new ideas will open doors to more efficient solutions.

For example, another client of mine, an athlete preparing for a major event, struggled with poor recovery because he wasn’t getting enough sleep. He was sure his routine couldn’t be optimized further. But after taking a closer look at his daily flow, we discovered he spent hours preparing meals. Once we streamlined his meal prep—by shifting it to twice a week and simplifying his food choices—he saved one to two hours a day, which he invested in better sleep.

The lesson? Sometimes, it’s not about working harder but working smarter. Stay curious, identify what’s missing, and be ready to explore new approaches.

Confronting Fears—What’s Holding You Back?

At this point, you might start to feel a bit anxious. You’ve got your goal, you’ve identified your missing tools, but then those familiar thoughts creep in: I can’t do this, it’s too hard, or I don’t know how.

We’ve all been there.

The trick is to name your fears. Take a moment and make a list. What’s holding you back? What are the concerns, doubts, and worries lurking beneath the surface?

As Mike Molloy, founder of M2 Performance Nutrition and a coach to CrossFit Games athletes, Olympians, and NFL players, advises: “Identify and address any hidden competing commitments that might conflict with the goal, such as fears or subconscious beliefs that sabotage progress.”

Often, it’s not that you can’t do something—it’s that the task is new, unfamiliar, or tied to a deeper fear. As Molloy explains, clients often overlook emotional or psychological barriers like fear of failure, which quietly drive resistance to change.

By bringing these fears to the surface, you give names to the monsters you need to fight. And once you’ve named them, they become a lot less scary.

Identify Your Key Focus Areas

At this point, you should be getting excited—because now comes the part where you turn your dreams into actions. Think of two to three key areas to focus on that will help you achieve your goal.

When I decided to improve my public speaking skills, my focus areas were clear: work with a tutor to identify and tackle weaknesses, practice regularly by making videos for Instagram, attend a local Toastmasters club, and do self-work by reviewing recordings of my talks.

Your key areas will depend on your goal. For example, if your goal is to increase energy levels and improve nutrition, your focus areas might be: diversify your diet, prioritize whole foods, and eat regularly.

Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to change everything overnight. Your brain, which constantly works to conserve energy, will get overloaded. You’ll feel fatigued, and motivation will drop.

So, take the next step: Break it down into small actions.

Start Small—The Power of Micro-actions

Right now, as you’re reading this, you might feel motivated to go all in. But let me tell you—that feeling won’t last every day. Life happens, challenges arise, and your enthusiasm can wane.

The key to staying consistent is small actions.

Imagine this: Each small action is like planting a seed. You might not see the results right away, but over time, these seeds grow into a thriving tree of success. Start with actions so small that it’s easier to do them than to skip them. Something like doing one minute of breathwork, adding one vegetable to a meal, or going to bed five minutes earlier. These tiny actions create small wins that give you a sense of accomplishment, which in turn fuels more positive actions.

Here’s why small actions work:

• They reduce fear of failure.
• They don’t require massive amounts of willpower or motivation.
• They make setbacks less dramatic, so it’s easier to bounce back.

Now, take a moment to reflect. Based on your key focus areas, what’s one small action you can start doing today? Something that feels manageable—not what you should do, but something you can do.

Track Your Progress—Create a Positive Feedback Loop

Consistency is key, but how do you stay consistent on tough days? It’s not just about discipline—it’s about paying attention to your journey.

Tracking your progress is one of the most powerful ways to stay on course. When you keep everything in your head, it’s easy to lose sight of your progress, especially on bad days. But when you track your actions, you can look back and see how far you’ve come.

How should you track your progress? Keep it simple. Use whatever format works for you, whether it’s a digital app or an old-school notebook. Write down what you did each day, how it made you feel, and at the end of each week, reflect on what worked and why, as well as what didn’t. Progress tracking keeps you grounded, reminding you that you’re moving forward, even with small steps.

Curiosity Over Motivation

Motivation comes and goes, but how you approach the journey is completely up to you. Francesco Puppi, a renowned ultra-trail runner, says, “I’m motivated by the simple accumulation of miles and hours of training, by getting better at the craft, by the perspective of freedom that having a full range of possibilities in front of me offers.”

Puppi also shared that motivation comes from the experience itself, regardless of the outcome. He noted that while many factors are beyond our control, it’s our approach to the journey and what we take away from it that truly matters.

It’s not just about the end goal. It’s about learning, growing, and staying curious along the way. When you approach your goal with this mindset, the journey becomes a transformation in itself.

Now it’s time to get started. You have the tools, exercises, and mindset to not only set goals but stick to them. As you move through the year, remember that every small step matters. Focus on the process, track your progress, and watch how your small actions ripple into big transformations.

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