Today is February 1, and we’re already one month into the new year. A lot of us have already forgotten our new year resolutions. Now that the enthusiasm has subsided, we can think with a cool mind and see what we can do about our resolutions. (I’ve found ONE method that can truly help you stick to your resolutions.)

New Year Resolution

So, let’s start with some basics. What is a resolution? A resolution is a decision you make using your willpower to “do something” for an extended period of time.

When you make a resolution, the imagination of the result makes you so joyful that you feel you’ve already achieved it. 

How good it feels when:

• You’ve doubled your yearly income 
• Transformed your physique as you dreamed
• Changed your Self-Image that is free from bad habits

But, why is it not possible to actually achieve it? Why is it not possible to carry the same energy you had while making resolutions for the next, say, three months? Or maybe even for 3 days?

What are the reasons why you cannot hold onto your resolutions with the same energy until your goal is reached?

The reasons are:

1. You’ve too many distractions
2. You’ve too many desires

Now, why do you think people go to secluded places? Not just saints, all those people who have achieved great results have found their own secluded places. Either physically or within their mind. 

It is because being secluded reduces desires and distractions immensely.

While you may not be able to find a secluded place, you can make your mind free from too many distractions and desires.

And resolutions are made for the same reason — to reduce distractions and desires. But for some, the resolutions themselves have created more distractions. Do you want to know how?

Tell me, how many resolutions have you made on New Year’s eve?

Three? Four? Or is your calendar full of resolutions?

If you have a lot of resolutions, then they are not called resolutions. They are desires.

People fill their calendars from 4 AM to 10 PM. And resolve to complete all those tasks to be successful. 4 AM to 10 PM – at least 10 things you’ve planned to do. And that’s how you’ve planned to fail.

Because, among those 10 things you’ve planned, even if you miss 1 task, you’ll feel you’re not resolute enough. And when your guilt begins to weigh you down, your whole plan begins to crumble.

Deep-rooted habits

Most of the habits that you’ve grown over the years cannot be changed by one resolution. They are deeply ingrained in your subconscious mind. You cannot change them all at once. So, the ideal way is to choose ONE resolution.

You are always tempted to do more than one thing at a time. Because you have many problems to solve. There are many things you want to change in your life. 

But you cannot solve them all at once. You’ll have to prioritise your problems and tackle them one by one. To do that, you’ll have to have ONLY ONE resolution to begin with. And then you’ll have to work on it for a long time. As you go on doing it, you’ll develop a certain taste for it. Only then will it create subconscious impressions. To create subconscious impressions, you’ll need to do it for a long time – say 365 days, without breaking the chain.

Seinfeld Strategy

Have you heard of Seinfeld Strategy?

Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians in the world. He created a small goal for himself – to write a joke every day.

To make sure he didn’t miss any day – he had a full-year calendar on the wall and marked X on the date after completing his joke.

As he continued to mark X on the calendar, after a few days, it looked like a chain (XXXXX). And if he missed one single day, that chain would break (XXX_XX). He had to continue writing daily to keep an unbroken chain for the whole year.

It appeared like a harmless habit, but later he went on to earn about 300 million dollars per year as a comedian and writer. That’s how huge the domino effect of his small habit was.

So, start small and do it with earnestness. Soon, you will begin to build a taste for it. It not only becomes a habit, but creative juices begin to flow, creating an inner push to do it more and more.

When you choose ONE resolution, your mind thinks more about that one thing consciously, and a lot of other unconscious habits begin to subside. Also:

• You will stop feeling guilty about other unproductive habits that you have.
• The ONE thing you focus on begins to grow. Soon it will have visible effects on your whole day.

You don’t need to force those effects. You just need to enjoy doing this one process.

Now, the only challenge you have is how to choose that ONE thing. And when you do that, you’ll begin your journey to life mastery.