As the famed crystal ball dropped at midnight in New York City’s Times Square, millions of people celebrated the closing of one door and the opening of another. For many, January 1st is synonymous with resolutions and goals, and why wouldn’t it be? January 1st marks the start of something new – a fresh beginning. A new day. A new opportunity. It’s the first day of hope and the first day of new aspirations. It’s the first step of a new journey. But I must caution you, one of these is destined to fail.

Just before the door to 2013 closed forever, I spent some time reflecting on the year that was as well as the year that will be. Naturally, like many of you, I started thinking about the changes I wanted to make. I also thought about the goals I wanted to set for myself, which led me to think about resolutions – specifically, my disdain for them.

On paper, a resolution is a key ingredient to success. By definition, a resolution is a firm decision to do or not to do something. However, in practice, a resolution can be a futile attempt at change. Harsh words, yes. But proven nonetheless.

According to Statistic Brain, more than 60% of Americans make New Year’s Resolutions, but only 8% are successful in achieving them. However, with that said, people who make resolutions are 10x more likely to attain their goals than those who don’t even try. I, myself, have consistently fallen into the 92% bucket of people who fail to achieve their New Year’s Resolution. Why is that?

First, the resolutions I’ve set in the past were not well thought out and were too aggressive for me to follow through on long term. Also, none of my resolutions included an action plan on HOW I was going to achieve them. And lastly, I had a terrible attitude about them.

Tips for setting goals:

Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Pace yourself. The accomplishment of a goal should be considered a marathon rather than a sprint. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was the accomplishment of your goal.

Stay positive. The only thing you control is your attitude. If you want lose weight, think about it from the perspective of ‘achieving your ideal weight’ rather than ‘losing ten pounds’. The idea of losing carries a negative connotation whereas achieving is uplifting. Start your day with a positive affirmation and return to it anytime your mind starts to wander.

Write down and share your goals with others. A goal you have not written down is only a dream. Setting a goal requires an action plan and writing the goal down is the first action. Over time I’ve found that I am more committed to my goals once I’ve shared them with someone. Sharing your goals with someone you trust will make you accountable. Have you shared your goals with someone you trust?

By setting goals, you are deciding what is important to you. So as we walk through the door to 2014 remember this: Set. Commit. Follow Through.

Happy New Year!

To learn more about setting goals, check out this article from my friends at Mind Tools.

Kekich's Credo #2:
"Cherish time, your most valuable resource. You can never make up the time you lose. It's the most important value for any productive happy individual and is the only limitation to all accomplishments. To waste time is to waste your life. The most important choices you'll ever make are how you use your time."


My take: This gentle reminder packs a HUGE punch. Time IS our most valuable resource and no matter what we do, we can't get it back. So if you're wasting it, it's time to do something about it and make a change.

This hit home for me on Christmas morning as Tracy, Ava and I were opening gifts and I thought, I wonder how many more Christmases we get as a family? Hopefully we have dozens more, but there's no way of knowing.

Many people are great at managing their time - juggling the balls of life - whereas others need help. My friends at MindTools have a section dedicated to the practice of improving your time management skills that is filled with excellent tips. Click here to learn how to achieve more and be more effective and see what happens.

A good friend of mine once told me, "things get done when you do them." If this post hits home then I challenge you to do something about it and take the first step.

What do you do when you've been bucked from your "horse"? Do you get back on or do you stay off? How long before you stand up, dust yourself off, grab the reigns and climb back on?

The "horse" I'm referring to is unique to you. It's whatever challenge, obstacle, problem or situation you struggle with. We all have them and I'm no different.

The "horse" I've been bucked off of, am staring at and contemplating is exercise and nutrition.

For as long as I can remember I've always been an active person - working out and exercising regularly. During my late 20s and early 30s I saw my weight climb and my body transform into one that I wasn't necessarily happy with. I was bummed out and I couldn't figure out why. How could I weigh more than 200 lbs and have a body fat % of 23% when I was exercising and working out 3-5 times per week? Isn't this what the doctor ordered? Isn't that what my mother encouraged?

Yes, but what the doctor didn't tell me, and what my mother didn't share is that what you put into your body is more important than what you do with it.

After taking an inventory on my nutrition, I had to be honest with myself and accept the fact that I was consuming the least healthy foods available and ignoring the fuels my body needs. Breakfast was cereal, Lunch was on the go and Dinner was often after 7 PM. Staples in my nutrition were the following foods: burgers, pizza, burritos, alcohol, cookies... I could go on and on. Absent were these fuels: fruits, vegetables and whole foods (non-processed and low-fat).

In November of 2011, after hitting rock bottom with my health and nutrition, I set out on a pilgrimage to health - optimal health. It was a pilgrimage that would change the way I thought about and viewed exercise and nutrition and one that would dramatically alter the way I looked and felt.

Within three months of setting out on this pilgrimage, I'd reached my destination. I had lost 35 lbs and lowered my body fat % from 23 to 11. I had never looked better physically or felt better mentally. Not only was I on the "horse", but I was in control of it. 

There were no magic pills or short cuts. Only hard work, discipline and commitment. In addition to hitting the gym and exercising regularly, I joined a yoga studio and began practicing hot  yoga. I also eliminated the foods I loved and consumed the fuels my body needed. Goodbye burgers, pizza, burritos, alcohol and cookies! Hello greens, vegetables, tofu and fruits.

But slowly, I've fallen off and my weight and body fat % is creeping back up. 

There are a number of contributing factors, but none of them are excuses. This is on me! First, I became content with where I was. Second, I convinced myself that I could eat the foods I love, the foods I gave up during my pilgrimage, and that I didn't need the fuels my body craves. Then, there was the injury to my shoulder that kept me from working out and practicing yoga for six months. A perfect storm was bearing down on me.

Before my exercise and nutrition spiral out of control, I'm choosing to do something about it (Step 1). Now, I have to do something about it (Step 2) - the hard part.

This isn't a story about what I've done in the past. It's a story about what I'm going to do today and tomorrow. It's about making a commitment and having the discipline to follow through on that commitment.

Where I'm at today is where I believe most people are when they have the reigns in-hand, but have yet to put their foot in the stirrup.

But HOW do I get back on the "horse"? I'm not certain what will work for you, but what works for me is this.

First, make the choice. Then, commit to your choice. Once committed, write a personal daily affirmation statement related to your choice and read it as many times a day as needed until it's committed to memory. And then, take the first step of your pilgrimage.

Isaac Newton's first law of motion is paraphrased as, a body at rest stays at rest while a body in motion stays in motion.

My personal daily affirmation: 
Today's the day I decided to change. Today's the day I set out on my pilgrimage to health. Today's the day that I will fill my body with the fuel it needs and avoid the foods I want. Today's the day that I take control.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." - Lao-tzu