Make a Commitment, Not a Resolution

It's almost the new year, and people everywhere are scribbling out resolutions. My tip to you: don't.

Don't waste your time with empty resolutions and the false promises that come with them. Instead, make a commitment.

Commit to something that actually moves the needle — healthier eating, a consistent training schedule, taking care of your mental health, or picking up a real practice like martial arts. Saying something is always easier than doing it, so here are three tactics that actually make commitments stick:

1. Tweak your environment. 2. Build habits that stick. 3. Use positive-focused goals.

Here's what each one looks like.

1. Tweak Your Environment

Make the right move the easy move. Set your gi bag by the door before you go to bed so you're not fumbling through drawers at 5:45 a.m. If you snooze your alarm into oblivion, put your phone across the room so you're forced to stand up to silence it.

Most of "willpower" is really just environmental design. Set the path of least resistance to point at your goal, not away from it.

2. Build Habits That Stick

Aristotle nailed it: "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."

If you're picking up a new practice like martial arts, build habits around it. Decide which days you train — and treat them like any other non-negotiable. You don't brush your teeth or feed your kids only when you feel like it. Health and skill work the same way. Schedule it. Show up. Repeat.

3. Use Positive-Focused Goals

This is the opposite of an avoidance goal. When I say, "Don't think of a purple elephant," what's the first thing you picture? Exactly.

If you're trying to clean up your diet, don't write a list of foods to avoid. Write a list of foods to eat. Don't aim to "stop being out of shape." Aim to "train three times a week." Focus on what you want to do, not what you don't want to do. Your brain follows attention.

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Ring in the new year right — make a real commitment to yourself. It won't always be easy. The things worth having rarely are.

Let's train.