New Year, New Me? Long-Term Discipline Always Beats Motivation

“My New Year’s Resolution is that I'm going to start going to the gym everyday.”

“My New Year’s Resolution is that I’m going to start dieting to lose weight.”

“My New Year’s Resolution is that I’m going to cut down on my bad habits/addictions.”

“New Year, New Me”... right? One thing is for certain: It is much easier said than done. But the saying, “slow and steady wins the race” is 100% true when it comes to self-improvement.

At the kickstart of every single year, a majority of people write down their “New Year’s Resolution” to themselves that they will essentially transform into a “new me”; a new person. But how many people quickly fall off their bike chasing down this path of becoming their “new me”?

Let’s put this into perspective… For you gym goers out there, how insanely crowded is your local gym within the first week of the New Year? Then a week later, what does it look like? Probably half the crowd that showed up on January 1st is seemingly— a no show? Most people have this idea of being so motivated to change themselves when the calendar year goes a number higher.

If you are reading this and truly want to make a difference in your life, this is the honest and blunt truth: Changing yourself is not going to be easy at all and it will take a ton of consistent commitment and dedication. Nothing is going to change, unless you change— and that change has to be sustainable long term. You have to fight your brain everyday against its typical urges and habits, and in order to do this, you must be (and stay) disciplined, focused, and driven because this overvalued idea of “motivation,” is only temporary. Self-change is going to take a substantial amount of time, effort, and real commitment to change the person you see in the mirror everyday.

Motivation is just short term dopamine hits to your brain, stemming from typical short videos/clips like an Instagram reel about David Goggins working out like a literal mad man everyday, a transformation video of somebody losing hundreds of pounds like music artist Jelly Roll, or even a heroic comeback type of story like Francis Ngannou legitimately escaping a life of extreme poverty in Cameroon, Africa and becoming a World Champion fighter.

But the terms “drive” and “discipline” are different. Both “drive” and “discipline” are a crucial combination that will eventually lead to success down the road. Being extremely driven towards a goal, willing to do whatever it takes for however long it takes to achieve the very goal you have in mind while being “disciplined” to get done what you know must be done to achieve your targeted goal, especially when you do not feel like doing it at all— THAT’S the key to success for true change— a true self “resolution.” Doing something when you feel “motivated” is easy because your brain and body simultaneously want to do it. But once that short term motivation runs empty, your brain starts to tell you, “I don’t feel like doing this today” or “C’mon, let’s take today off.” That goal in mind then leaves you with the critical question of, “How bad do you want it?”

Most days, you are simply not going to want to do what you know you must get done to make a change. So, the key is to make small changes that you can manage to follow LONG-TERM. So many people out there absolutely redline a routine where they expect change overnight, or even in just a few weeks or months. It’s simply NOT realistic.

I’ve personally witnessed myself and countless amounts of people within my friends and family try to redline their life changes, and I would say 100% of the time— it never works out for long at all. For example, specifically with diet change or weight loss, I’ve seen so many people close to me (including myself) rather “crash diet” and lose so much weight in a short time span, but gain it all back (if not even more weight) because the diet and routine they had was way too strict. A human being cannot sustain that kind of strict routine forever; it’s miserable and completely not fun.

Personally, I was a bigger kid growing up. I first lost around 15-20 pounds earlier on in high school, but it was honestly not healthy and sustainable. I “crash dieted,” eating very low calories on top of going to school all day and playing football 3 hours a day, and completely cut off anything I actually enjoyed eating. I lost weight so quickly, but in return lost a lot of strength and muscle mass… then ended up gaining it nearly all back within the next 7-10 months.

True change didn't happen for me until I became driven and invested towards a plan that I knew I could handle for a long time. Once Covid hit, I followed a tough workout routine in my basement but ate consistently healthier without entirely restricting myself from still having fun in my life. Staying dedicated to my own small changes was when my lifestyle was completely altered and I started to feel so much better about myself. Over the years, I’ve realized that trying to make a “cold turkey” lifestyle change is nearly impossible. Focus on the journey, not just the result.

You can start to implement various beneficial changes to your daily routine. You can set realistic but extremely beneficial goals everyday for yourself such as: walking 10k steps a day, going for a one mile walk or run, 30 minutes in the gym, 30 minutes of sunlight right when you wake up, a ½ hour of reading, 10-minute meditation, etc.

You can even invest in lifestyle changes that will enhance your mood and both your physical and mental well-being like various recovery methods. You can invest in a sauna tent for daily use, an ice bath or “cold plunge,” (start your first ice baths at around 55-60°F, then work your way down the temperature), yoga, stretching, breathing techniques, etc. You don’t have to spend a boat load of money either. There’s plenty of affordable options you can find on Amazon to add to your new daily routine for low-cost.

As a competitive amateur boxer, who has trained so hard for nearly half a decade, the older I become I realize how significant BALANCE is in any human being’s life. I’ve over worked, I’ve over trained, I’ve overly restricted myself, and all that has led to is less enjoyment in life and me personally not being driven to push towards my goal anymore. So, go have that unhealthy snack or dish you love, have that fun night out with friends/family, go spend some money on that trip— just don’t let it become a bad habit that overrides your discipline and success. Balance, balance, balance, is the key to success… and a happy and healthy life.

Prioritize these qualities if you really want to change yourself:

• Self-Love
• Self-Respect
• Self-Trust