New Year’s Resolutions

Why Most Fail & How to Firewalk Straight Through Them

It's that time again.

New year. Clean slate. Big promises made in the quiet optimism of January.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

And by February? Most of them are already dead.

Not because people are lazy.
Not because they "lack willpower."

They fail because the goal isn't alive enough.

A resolution that doesn't excite you will never survive the first obstacle. And obstacles always show up.

So let's talk about what actually works.

Step One: The First Step (Yes, Just One)

Most people over-plan and under-feel.

They wait until they have clarity, confidence, or motivation before moving. That's backwards. Movement creates clarity. Action creates confidence.

The first step doesn't need to be perfect — it needs to be taken.

Decide. Move. Adjust later.

Step Two: Turn Stumbling Blocks into Fuel

Here's where most people really go wrong:
They hope they won't hit resistance.

That's fantasy.

Instead, plan for the stumbling blocks in advance. Not just intellectually — emotionally.

Ask yourself:

• What might stop me?
• How will it feel when I hit that wall?
• And most importantly… how will it feel when I break through it?

Now lock that feeling in.

See it.
Feel it.
Hear yourself celebrating on the other side.

As Tolly Burkan famously says,

"Our challenges are our gifts."

Not after the fact — in the moment.

Step Three: Your Go-Phrase

Every high performer I've worked with has one thing in common:
A trigger phrase that ends debate and starts action.

Not a mantra.

A command.

Something you say the instant you decide to move forward.

Short. Sharp. Unmistakable.

Say it before the doubt finishes its sentence.
Say it before you hesitate.
Say it as you step into the obstacle — not away from it.

Step Four: Keep the Goal Emotionally Switched On

Most resolutions die because they're logical, not emotional.

"I should lose weight."
"I should earn more."
"I should be less stressed."

Should has never changed a life.

You must constantly see, feel, and hear yourself in the joy of the goal — not someday, but now. The celebration at the end must be so real that it pulls you through the discomfort.

Which brings me to firewalking.

Photo by Firewalk UK

The Firewalk Lesson Most People Miss

When you firewalk, the first thing you're taught is this:

Fix your eyes on the finish.

Not the heat.
Not the fear.
Not the burning questions in your head.

The moment you focus on the journey instead of the end, you hesitate. And hesitation is where people stop.

You accelerate through.

Every obstacle in your New Year's resolution is a firewalk.

Every doubt is hot coals.
Every setback is a test of focus.

See the finish.
Feel the determination rise.
Move.

Photo by Firewalk UK

Because once you understand this — truly understand it — you stop asking "Will I fail?"

And start asking:

"How fast am I willing to walk through the fire?"

That's where resolutions stop being promises…
and start becoming results.

Main – Photo by BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash