Coming in Hot!

Have you decided on your goals for 2023? As Mark Twain said,

“Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.”

It’s funny because it’s so true. Studies consistently show that over two-thirds of people ditch their New Year’s resolutions by the end of January.

What’s your success rate? Maybe you’ve laid so much pavement in years past that you decided to stop disappointing yourself with good intentions.

But let’s say you’re all fired up and ready for a fresh start. You’re coming in hot! You say to yourself, this time I’m going to try harder!

I’ll let you in on a little secret: Trying harder is a trap.

Trying harder usually translates into merely trying more of the same. But if you just keep on doing what you’ve been doing—even if you bank on doing it more diligently—you’re not likely to see your life change.

Instead, you need to try differently. And that’s where it gets tricky. Human beings have a hellava time breaking out of their familiar routines. We get stuck in too many of our old habits, especially those behaviors that brought us success in the past. Or that keep us in our comfort zone.

Listen, I have faith in you. I bet your dreams and desires for the year ahead are yours for the taking . . . if you take a new and different route. It doesn’t need to be a harder road, but it probably will need to be a “road less traveled” by you. People usually assume that trying differently is more difficult than trying harder. But it’s not—it just makes a person more uncomfortable.

Now I’ll give you secret #2: You should set a goal for 2023 that’s so big it scares the horses. You might assume this hurts your chances for sticking with it. But a big specific goal gives you better odds than a small, medium-sized, or vague goal. Research backs this up.

So go for a quantum leap! Set a goal that truly excites you, one that sets you on fire, one worth fighting for! Coming in hot is important, but staying hot counts the most.

The rules for breakthrough success are not what you might expect. They’re counter-intuitive, actually rather peculiar. You can learn more of the secrets in two of my bestselling handbooks: you², and The Quantum Leap Strategy.

Now go leave smoke in 2023!