W.I.N. Wednesday: Heh Willis, what are your New Year’s Resolutions?
I often get asked about my thoughts on New Year’s Resolutions and what my personal resolutions are. My answers are always the same.
I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions.
I do not have any New year’s resolutions.
Let me explain. I think New Year’s Resolutions are a flawed strategy that causes a lot of people to experience a sense of overwhelm and failure before the first month of the year is over. Too often people pick goals, that are not their own, but ones they feel pressured to pick, like weight loss. As a result, many people give up on their New Year’s Resolutions by mid to late January. For some people this causes a feeling of defeat and a belief that they are not disciplined like __________________ (fill in the name of some social media influencer). That results in them feeling shame and a diminished sense of self-worth. New Year’s Resolutions are simply a construct that someone came up with that many people now feel like they “have” to do.
I am a believer in regular rituals and a daily commitment to strive to be a little better tomorrow than I am today. My rituals include sleep, activity, nutrition, and learning. I use the phrase “strive to be a little better today that I was yesterday” because I understand that sometimes in the striving I will fail and come up short. When I do, I allow myself to be human. I then follow the model from my dog and kick some grass over that shit and move on.
I engage in some form of learning every day. Some days I get a significant amount of reading done, other days I read for only 20 or 30 minutes. Some days I work on online course and others I do not. Some days are more productive from a writing standpoint. Some days I listen to several podcasts and interviews. Some days I conduct interviews for the Excellence in Training Academy. Occasionally I do interviews for other people’s podcasts. The areas of focus for my learning will vary depending on what upcoming interviews I am preparing to conduct, and what rabbit hole I am going down with my own learning where I am striving to gain a deeper understanding. As 2022 ends that rabbit hole is related to the field of Ecological Dynamics as it applies to facilitating motor skill acquisition and adaptability.
I do some form of physical activity every day. The type and amount vary depending if I am on the road or at home. On the road teaching days are different from on the road prep days and at home days are different from days on the road. Due to early morning flights on many travel days the activity those days usually involves brisk walks through airports. Some days the activity is one or two walks outside. Other days I do a resistance training session early in the morning, a session on the SkiERG machine late morning and a walk after my midday meal. Other days I do a 45-minute incline walk on the treadmill first thing in the morning followed by a brief shoulder workout and then a walk outside after the midday meal. When I am home, I do a post workout infrared sauna 4 to 5 times a week.
I eat consistently 90 to 95% of the time. I travel with protein powder, grass fed beef sticks and meal replacement bars. On the road I often stay in hotels that have a kitchen so I can cook my own breakfast. I take my lunch every day that I teach, and I generally do not eat after lunch. At home I have the same thing for breakfast every day and eat at the same time each morning. I have a protein shake mid-morning, eat the same thing every day for my midday meal, which I also eat at the same time, and then I do not eat again before I go to bed. I like the way I eat, and what I eat and never feel like I am depriving myself. When I do deviate from my normal eating, I am fine with that and simply get back on track the next meal. I eat the way I do because I want to, because I get to, not because I have to.
For the most part I have stopped drinking. Will I occasionally have a glass of red wine when I am out for a meal? Possibly. Is that ok? Sure. I am not going to beat myself up because of it. I just get back onto my normal plan after that.
I am consistent with the time I go to bed and the time I get up at least 350 days a year. There are a few days because of social commitments or flight departure or arrival times that I deviate from the schedule. I wear a sleep mask 365 nights a year and tape my mouth shut every night to force myself to breathe through my nose while sleeping. The majority of days I leave 5 to 6 hours between my last meal and the time I go to bed. A few times a year that window will be down to 2 hours.
I share all this simply to help you understand why, for me, New Year’s Resolutions are not something I focus on. If I need to tweak my systems, processes, habits, or rituals I do that when it becomes apparent that I would benefit from that change, rather than waiting for January 1 to make some big change.
Does this make me special in any way? No. Does it mean I am highly motivated? No. Motivation is fleeting and there are many days when I am not motivated to workout, write, or read, but I do it anyway knowing that once I start, I will get into it and be glad I did it. Does this mean I am super disciplined? I would say no. I am a creature of habit and I have created daily habits and rituals that work for me.
Do I think you need to do what I do? No. Do what works for you. Should you eat the way that I eat? No. You should eat in a whatever way works best for you, your life, your likes, and your health. If New Year’s Resolutions work for you, excellent. Go for it. If they do not, then screw New Year’s Resolutions. Do what does work for you and feel good about doing it. It is ok to be you.
What’s Important Now? Start where you are at. Start now. Focus on small, incremental, daily improvements. Focus on habits and rituals that are sustainable for you, and meaningful for you. Allow yourself to be human.
Take care.
Brian Willis
www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com.
ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.
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