There Is An 80% Chance You Will Fail This Month!

It’s hard to believe you are reading this on January 12th - half of the first month of 2024 has already gone!

I have always found that time goes by so quickly in Dubai.

I wake up. Go to the gym. And then, a few meetings and emails later, it's dinner time and bed again!

I guess that means I am having fun, as time is flying! Or I am just getting old and it is disappearing quicker!

The world is now 12 days into its plethora of New Year’s resolutions: work-related, health- and fitness-related, and family-related.

As exciting as that sounds, creating all these ‘New’ people, let's look at the reality:

23% of you have already failed! Yes, 12 days in, almost a quarter of you have already failed and given up on your big plans. According to a 2023 study by Drive Research, that is the number of people who abandoned their resolutions in the first week of January!

What else is to come?

43% of you actually EXPECT to have failed in your New Year’s resolutions by February! (Inside Out Mastery, 2024).

As terrible as that number is, the reality is worse! 80% of resolutions WILL be abandoned by February! (University of Scranton, 2016)

So why are the stats so bad? Why are the failure rates so high? Why are so few people becoming the new version of themselves that they claim to want so much?

Unrealistic Goals and Ambition Overload

We all want to achieve greatness, but trying too much too soon, or too many things at once, is a sure-fire way to get none of it.

If you have never climbed a mountain before, then planning to climb Everest this year is probably going to be an unrealistic stretch.

If you have never run your own business before, then aiming to be a billionaire by Xmas is stupid.

When you are overwhelmed by anything, your mind defaults to a feeling of, ‘Where do I even begin?’, and you struggle to get out of the starting blocks.

Lack of Specificity

This is almost like the opposite of unrealistic goals. Making vague promises to yourself that actually mean nothing.

These statements are too vague to know if you are on the right journey or if you ever made it to the destination.

Unless your goals are precise and measured, you will be floating around with a scattered approach that is ineffective and ultimately leaves you disheartened.

Lack of a ‘Why’

Unless you have a great reason for doing something, it will always be more difficult to actually achieve it.

A ‘why’ is what gives motivation. It’s what makes you push through when you want to stay in bed and do nothing. It turns motivation into discipline and, ultimately, dreams into success.

A ‘Why’ is usually very personal but always essential.

 The wrong environment

You may have the best intentions, but if you are surrounded by an unsupportive network, a group of loser friends, and a chaotic workplace, then those goals will remain out of reach. They may be your goals, but greatness is never achieved alone.

If you want a great body, then don’t hang out with fat people.

If you want to make a lot of money, then you need a network of people who are already further along the path than you are.

Ok, so we know why people aren’t hitting their goals and are breaking their New Year’s resolutions, but what can be done to ensure success?

 It all starts with...

Reverse engineering some of the above reasons for failure, and we can see that it all begins with a ‘WHY’.

What is yours? You probably already know it, because that will have led you to have the goals that you have set for yourself. But if you haven’t yet got one, then sit down and find it.

What are you passionate about? Who do you want to become? Who do you want to serve?

When you know, then write it in indelible ink all over your walls and journals! This is your reason for being, and it will pick you up and get you back on course when you are wavering.

 Are you SMART enough?

There is a right way and a wrong way to set goals. and journals! The right way is the SMART way! Check out the diagram to see what all of your goals should be.

Who is on your team?

Surround yourself with great people. This could be mentors, or it could be other people with similar goals to you who also need support. You need help, and you need accountability. Someone to pat you on the back when you have done well, but equally to tell you that you are falling behind, letting yourself down.

If you don’t have great people close by, you can find them online. Join communities and create WhatsApp groups.

And if you are struggling to find great people to surround yourself with, then start by removing the dicks from your life. You know who they are. The friends who don’t want to see you succeed. The family members who keep bringing you down. Cut them out now!

Make sure your goals are written down. Somewhere, you can refer to them and keep looking back to remind yourself. Maybe even write them down again every morning when you wake up and every night when you go to bed. Keep reminding yourself. Hammering home what you are going to achieve.

If you are feeling brave, then announce them in public. Write them on social media. Tell your friends. When you make a public declaration, it is harder to back down in the face of prospective embarrassment.

If you have big (but achievable) goals, it can also help to break them down. Losing 20kg in a year may sound chunky at first. But when you look at it as less than 2kg a month, it starts to become more manageable.

Wanting to earn £500k in a year can feel out of reach. But when you break it down to £10k a week or £1400 a day, you start to be able to see exactly what you need to do to hit those numbers.

Give yourself a pat on the back as you go along. When you hit your smaller targets, then celebrate that achievement. Feel the progress you are making and get to love the journey, not just the destination.

Savour the small victories, acknowledge your hard work, and reward yourself for reaching milestones.

There is also plenty of great tech out there that you will find useful to hit your goals. Utilise apps, planners, and habit trackers to stay on track, monitor progress, and gamify your goals. You don’t need to go wild with complicated apps or spend a fortune; even just using the notes section of your iPhone can be enough to give you the tools you need for success.

If you want some great books to teach you how to achieve your goals and how to build great habits, then be sure to check out:

• "Goals: How to Get Things Done" by Brian Tracy

• "Atomic Habits" by James Clear

• "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg

• "Start, Stop, Do: Unlock the Productivity of the 10% by Jim Collins

Don’t be one of the 80% that have failed and given up by February. You still have time to get this back on track!

Are you great at achieving goals? Share some of your strategies with me, and I will include them in a future newsletter too.

In my column, I’m discussing the pitfalls of New Year's resolutions and the alarming statistics that indicate many have already veered off course. Rather than succumbing to the common trap of delaying aspirations to the next year, next month, or even next week, let's forget that approach. The notion of 'New Year, New Me' might be enticing, but the reality is, it often leads to a load of excuses and, ultimately, unfulfilled resolutions.

So, here's the reality check: Whether you're refining your business strategy, working on fitness goals, pursuing further education, or tackling any to-do list, the idea of having to 'be better' specifically in January is bullshit. In fact, you shouldn't have paused in the first place. Start something NOW, or the chances are it will never happen.

Break free from the calendar dictating our start dates. The only obstacle standing between you and success is the decision to act. Have a different perspective? Click on the survey below and tell me about it👇

You asked, and I heard you loud and clear! Following the feedback from last week's poll, it seems like many of you are keen to delve into the world of building a powerful network and gaining tips for effective networking. Well, let's kick things off right here.

For those who follow me on social media or enjoy my newsletters, you'll know about the weekly dinner parties I host aboard The Sea Squirter, my thoughtfully named yacht! These gatherings have become a gateway for those wanting to network. Each week, I extend invitations to 4 or 5 contacts with whom I aim to build deeper connections and add to my little black book! I encourage them to bring a guest, expanding my network with even more valuable connections.

These gatherings include some of my fundamental rules for networking and relationship building. It's not just about the luxury setting; it's about creating an environment that fosters genuine connections and meaningful conversations.

I write this newsletter every week, but I realised I never actually gave you insight into my diary, exciting upcoming events, podcasts, etc. So, here's something to watch out for. Usually, I'm the one asking the questions in my podcasts, but you'll know from my social media that I also appear on a fair few. I enjoy sharing my knowledge and success with people; it might spur you on to achieve something for yourself, motivate you that day, or give you some tips and advice on what you did or didn't know you wanted.

Yesterday, the podcast with Dariush Soudi went live! Dariush is a world-renowned international speaker and global sales leader with 1M followers. He's an entrepreneur with no formal education and runs several businesses worldwide. In this podcast, I’m talking about my success. From strip clubs, bankruptcy, resilience, and building a successful brand and business. Watch the trailer here:

dariushsoudiofficial

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