How many times have you not achieved your New Year's resolutions? Don't bother with counting.

It's a problem millions of people have. So do you, so do your neighbor and so do your mother. Heck, I'm not a master at this either, but I've got a few tips for you, which will make your life easier:

Realize that waiting for New Year's Eve is pure hypocrisy

'I really want to change for the better - all this fat is literally killing me! But you know, I will wait one more month till actually starting, because uhh ohh, you know. I will have more motivation at the beginning of the year!'

What. The. Fucking. Hell. You can wait two months when it comes to your health, but when you want a new TV you take a loan? Everyday should be your New Year's Eve. If you want to change, there is no better time than NOW. THERE WILL NEVER BE A BETTER TIME THAN NOW.

New Year's Resolutions are for blue pill people. People who mentally masturbate to an image of a future they will never achieve. Do you want to belong to that club?

If not ==> your New Year's Eve is today.

 

Quitting bad habits: Pick the real battle

You take out your cigarette and light it up. You take a puff and instantly feel it: You have lost again.

You take out that 'emergency' Snickers bar from the glove compartment. You take a bite. It's bitter. That's how failure tastes.

You think you lost. But as a matter of fact, you have lost a long time ago.

 

Do you know where the real battle took place?

At the grocery story.

 

This is the method for quitting any bad habit: identify the real battle. You don't lose when you do the thing. You lose when you place yourself in a situation that will get you later. If you know you always smoke after a few drinks, why the hell would you drink them? Or if you always masturbate when you're bored and alone - get the fuck out of the house!

Whatever you want to quit: identify the real battle.

 

Observe how you react in certain situations. Find out what makes you relapse or when you are particularly vulnerable. Then do your best to avoid those. You know your enemy(be it nicotine, sugar or TV). It's time to know yourself.

 

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.

If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.

If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” - Sun Tzu, The Art of War

 

And what about the good habits?

My best advice: take it slow. Want to get in shape? Start by doing 10 push ups a day. Increase that number by 1 a day. Done.

Seriously ==> we play the long game here. Fuck the fitness industry. And fuck the dopamine.

You're conditioned to get things fast and that's not really how it works. When you pick a goal - just do something about it everyday. And everyday do it a tiny bit more. There are a few lucky ones, who can start lifting 3 hours a day/7 times a week instantly and keep it up for years. But let's face it, I'm not one of them. And since you're reading this guide - the same probably applies to you.

 

So how do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time.

 

Lessons:

  • Your New Year's Eve is today

  • To quit bad habits: Identify the real battle(observe what makes you relapse and avoid it at all costs)

  • To form good habits: Do something about them every day and every day do it more, start slow at first, think about eating the elephant