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You Say You Want a Resolution?

Tomorrow is the Super Bowl of procrastination. It is the one night of the year where millions of people collectively decide that they will be different people when the sun comes up.


If you are a regular at a gym, you know what is coming. They call them the "Januarys." For the first three weeks of the year, you won't be able to find a parking spot. The treadmills will be full; the weights will be occupied. It is a tsunami of good intentions. But if you wait until February 1st, the tide goes out. The parking lot empties, and the regulars get their squat racks back.

Why does this happen? Why do millions of people start with such fire, only to flame out in thirty days?

The Trap of "Resolution"

The problem lies in the word itself. A "Resolution" is often treated as a wish. It is a binary statement: "I resolve to lose 20 pounds." "I resolve to get healthy."

These are Goals. Goals are destinations. The problem is, a goal does not tell you how to get there. It is like looking at a map, pointing at a city, and expecting to teleport.


The difference between the "Januarys" and the people still there in December is not willpower. It is not genetics. It is the difference between Interest and Commitment.

  • Interest is doing it when it is convenient, when you feel motivated, and when the circumstances are perfect.

  • Commitment is doing it when you are tired, when you are stressed, and when the "new car smell" of the New Year has worn off.

Motivation vs. Diligence

We tend to fetishize "Motivation." We treat it like a fuel we need to wait for. "I'm just not motivated today."

Here is the hard truth I have learned in my 53 years, and specifically in this "clean keto" journey: Motivation is a liar. It is a fair-weather friend. It shows up at the starting line, cheers you on, and then leaves you the moment you hit the first hill.


You cannot build a lifestyle on motivation. You have to build it on Diligence. Diligence (or discipline, if you like) is the ability to give yourself a command and follow it, even when you don't want to. It is the understanding that your "Future Self" deserves the effort that your "Present Self" is too lazy to give.

Systems Over Goals

In my day job, I work in Compliance. We don't operate on "hopes." We operate on Policies and Systems. If you want to survive the February drop-off, stop making Resolutions. Start building Systems.

  • Resolution: "I want to start fasting."

  • System: "I do not eat after 6:00 PM."

  • Resolution: "I want to get fit."

  • System: "I go to the gym on Tuesdays and Thursdays, regardless of how I feel."


A system is a rule you set for your life. It removes the "choice." When 6:00 PM hits, I don't ask myself if I feel like fasting. The kitchen is closed. That is the policy.

The Beatles Were Right

To go back to the pun that forms the title of this post, from the Beatles tune "Revolution": "You say you'll change the constitution / Well, you know / We all want to change your head."

This year, don't worry about the number on the scale (your "constitution"). Change your head. Stop looking for a temporary fix or a 30-day challenge. The "Januarys" are looking for a finish line. The "Regulars" know there isn't one.

This isn't a resolution. It's a revolution. Happy New Year.

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Location: Halifax Regional Municipality, NS, Canada

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