New Years' Resolutions are Crap - 75 Hard Experience

New Years’ Resolutions are crap, you have to do the work every day.

Every year I make a resolution to get more in shape, do better with my money, and make something bigger in my business. Every year it is the same.

The only year my life started to measurably improve was the year I started doing 75 Hard. I did the 75 days towards the end of the year. The program wasn’t invented when I set my same old New Years’ resolutions. And until 75 Hard, I had the same results… none.

Why did it change? It was and wasn’t the program. I sat down and I did things every day that improved my health. So my health got better.

Life really is that easy. You just have to do it consistently.

If you are like me, consistency is the problem. I’m good for a while and then I let it go. Just one donut. Just one missed workout. One miss turns into two, three, four, and a month’s worth of crap down my throat and one or two workouts during the month. It is why we fail.

You know what to do every day. The trick is doing it.

75 Hard lets you make it a challenge, a game, and a life change. By picking 5 habits you will do every day to improve yourself, you will get better. If you miss a day, it won’t work.

Life isn’t quite that way, but the trick is to do those things that make you better 99 out of 100 days. And when you miss that one day, to get back on track for the next 100 days.

If you can consistently do habits to make you better for 99 out of 100 days for the next year, you will be better. There are thousands of books about what habits you should do, but here are my favorite two.

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod is about starting the day off right to win every day of life. You should read the book to get motivated, but here are the six things (they will sound familiar) that you should do every morning to start a great day: S.A.V.E.R.S is the acronym,

S – Silence; take a moment and meditate, prey, or just be silent to focus your mind and body.
A – Affirmations; tell yourself what you want to become every day. I am _______.
V – Visualization; See yourself doing what needs to be done today and in your life. See yourself becoming what you want to be.
E – Exercise; Every day, get after it with some kind of workout. Start where you are and get better.
R – Read; Every day read part of a non-fiction book to make yourself smarter
S – Scribe; Journal your thoughts, hopes, and dreams, and write down what you want to accomplish

Hal says, get up early and get after these things before you start the day. I am the most successful when I got up early and did things to better myself before I go to work or play. Life gets in the way if you don’t take care of yourself first.

The second book is Rich Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals by Thomas Corley. I just went through this book again to create the affirmations I use. Corley gives 10 habits that rich people do every day to become and stay rich:

Form good daily habits and follow these good habits each and every day.
Set goals for each day, for each month, for each year and for the long-term. Focus on goals each and every day.
Engage in self-improvement each and every day.
Devote part of each and every day in caring for your health.
Devote part of each and every day to forming lifelong relationships.
Live each and every day in a state of moderation.
Accomplish your daily tasks each and every day; have a “do it now” mindset.
Engage in rich thinking each and every day.
Save 10% of your gross income every paycheck.
Control your thoughts and emotions each and every day.

If you did the above 10 things every day how much further in life would you be? Get after it.

If these look too overwhelming, start with just five. Pick five things you want to do every day that will improve your life. Then do them for 75 days and see if you are better or worst. Just a small warning, if you go after the 75-day challenge and fail, you will feel horrible about yourself.

As Yoda says, “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Get after it!

Ben Branam