New Year, New You

by Jason Tierney, COO of DS3

“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius

I’m writing this on December 31, 2016. Like many of you, I’m reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the year to come. What will be different? The reality is that the challenges will be the same and this day is largely a symbolic one. What has really changed from last week and what will really change next week?

The gym industry can tell you all about it. Their entire business model is built on the expectation of failure and unfulfilled promises. The rise of gym memberships in the U.S. tracks almost identically to the increasing obesity epidemic. Some gyms realize a 300% increase in membership in the first weeks of the new year yet they don’t increase their space or equipment. Why? Because they know that most of their new clients will not regularly attend and ultimately, unrealized goals will fall to the wayside until next year.

This dismal reality doesn’t have to be. The problem isn’t that the gym is too far from home or that it lacks the proper equipment. The problem lies solely with the gym member. They make wrong decisions, seeking obstacles that become excuses and ultimately are parlayed into failure. Day after day. Month after month. Year after year.

What needs to change to positively alter this outcome and place these individuals on the way to healthier, happier versions of themselves? A mental shift. Remind yourself to do the next right thing. At each fork in the road or each branch of the decision tree, make the right choice. Eat the blueberries instead of the M&M’s. Go to the gym instead of the movies. Walk a mile to the grocery store to grab that stick of butter rather than driving. Do the next right thing again and then again. Habits form. Your life changes. It’s that simple. Seriously.

New year. Same challenges. New mindset. New successes. Make it happen.