Screw Resolutions
This Year Set a Goal Worth Bleeding For.
“If you just can’t seem to get your engine out of the station, or you get derailed by every little obstacle that comes your way, then obviously this is not a goal that you truly value.”
-Steve Jeck
Every January, optimism peaks. New training gear, new journals, new promises. The gym overflows with ambition, and by March, it’s a ghost town again.
It’s like the 6:30 am class at my jiu-jitsu academy, early morning mats are filled with good intentions.
Resolutions don’t fail because people lack motivation. They fail because those making the resolutions lack discipline and follow-through. Motivation is external. It is looking to someone, or something, outside yourself to inspire you. Inspiration is great, but you can’t rely on it to get you to the gym every day. Resolutions, the kind that actually transform you, require discipline.
If you want change this year, make a rule.
Rules Aren’t Optional
A rule is a line in the sand. Break it, and something happens, consequence and accountability. When you align your goal with a rule, you stack the deck in your favor.
Instead of:
“I should train more.”
Commit to:
“I will train 150 times in 2026. Sessions are scheduled in advance. Miss one, it gets made up - no exceptions.”
If you can’t measure it, and if you won’t track it, you don’t want it badly enough.
Pick Goals That Challenge You
Strength isn’t built through comfort, it is built when the task pushes back:
Add 50 pounds to the squat
Hit 20 strict pull-ups
Walk 10,000 steps every day for 90 days
Train jiu-jitsu three times weekly for the entire year
A real resolution costs something: your time, your blood, sweat, and ego. It has to push you to go somewhere you haven’t been. That’s the entire point.
Systems > Motivation
Motivation is emotional, therefore it comes and goes. Systems are mechanical, they don’t care how you feel.
To build systems:
Schedule your training sessions
Pack your gym gear the night before
Pre-plan your meals so you’re not tempted to hit the drive-through
Limit your choices: pick 3–5 exercises and own them
If your success depends on feeling motivated, you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Keep Your Goals to Yourself
People overshare too often, especially on social media. If your goals are worthy of your time and effort, that’s all that should matter.
Write your goals down and look at them daily. Screw other people’s opinions. The only respect that matters is self respect.
Getting Off Track
If you get off track don’t sweat it. Just get back to your plan the next training day or at the next meal. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone completely blow their nutrition plan because they had an unscheduled “cheat” meal. Rather than enjoying the treat and getting back to their healthy nutrition plan at the next meal, they binge for an entire day. It’s the equivalent of driving down the road and getting a flat tire and instead of fixing the flat and getting back on the road, you pull out a knife and slash the other three tires.
The Goal
Choose one goal that resonates with you. Something that you truly want and are passionate about. You must be willing to deal with discomfort in order to achieve it.
Make sure that your goal:
Is specific and measurable
Requires consistent effort
Pushes you outside of your comfort zone
Has a clear deadline
Then turn it into a rule and when motivation runs out, be ready to implement the discipline required to see it through.
I love this. It’s a great companion to my primary mantra, “There are No excuses”
The slashing the tires analogy is hilarious.