On Resolutions

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” - Jim Rohn

Every January 1st we get a new blank book. We celebrate saying goodbye to a year that is now part of our past and welcome with hope a new coming year. New Years Eve is a special moment we all remember that gives us closure for our recent experiences. January 1st is the biggest “Monday” of the year in which we promise ourselves, “Starting tomorrow, things will be different”.

When I look back at my life, I like to divide it into small chapters. The start of a new year marks the difference between the old you and the new, hopefully, better you. Such dichotomy often comes with a handful of resolutions we want to accomplish to achieve that better version of ourselves we all yearn.

Setting a list of resolutions is certainly a great thing to do. Nonetheless, resolutions as we know them have a major problem, they simply don’t work. There’s a reason why gyms are full in January but are under-capacity in September. Resolutions in my perspective have two main problems. To begin with, people rarely set up rewards for achieving their objectives and thus lose motivation soon. Secondly, and most importantly, many resolutions are one time goals that are usually not sustainable over time.

Creating habits is better than setting one time goals as habits increase our chances of success as we perform them repeatedly. Moreover, creating healthy and sustainable habits is the only path to building a better you in the long term. Setting goals makes you feel unfulfilled until you fully achieve such goal, whereas creating habits gives you fulfillment as long as you are doing them.

2014 is the first time I’m writing down my resolutions, which I’ve decided to make public to put an extra pressure on myself. 

My 2014 resolutions:

-Learn to Code

I want to become a decent full-stack developer able to build simple apps whenever I want to and also be proficient enough to read code and fully understand the architecture of an app. I will start using Codeacademy for the basics and then pass to other platforms. I will initially start with two one-hour weekly sessions of Javascript.

-Get a six pack for the first time

I’m usually not perceived as the epitome of sportsmanship by my friends and family. However it is high time I finally get really fit and satisfied with my fitness. I’m not a big fan of going to the gym or running. I get bored really easily. The solution is doing things fast! I will do the Scientific 7-Minute Workout at least 5 times per week in additional to recreational tennis and football.

-Read a new book every 2 weeks

I have a tendency to read 5 books at the same time and realized it just doesn’t work. I am unable to fully grasp all the insights of every book at the same time, and I rarely finish all books. In order to sustainably read a new book every two weeks I will have to make a bunch of adjustments. I will only read only read one book at a time and don’t stop until I finish it. If I don’t like the book, I will stop reading it and don’t pick it up ever again. I also just bought a Kindle Paperwhite. I’ve been reading from my iPad or iPhone, and it just doesn’t work. I can’t read under the sun and my eyes hurt after a few hours. No more excuses. I will also try to read faster.

-Be fully spontaneous once a month

As much as I love my work and what I do, I don’t like being dragged into a repeating routine. Once a month, I will set an alarm to remind me to do something spontaneously crazy and unconventional. I will set a minimum budget of $100

-Explore the world

I’ve been lucky enough to visit 121 cities and 35 countries by age 24. I think that exploring the world is one of the most precious treasures someone can have. I want to keep my pace of visiting new cities and countries. Although it is harder (and expensive) to have traveling as a habit, I want to set a minimum of 3 cities per year. 

-Keep in touch with loved ones

I have lived in 6 countries and have many friends spread all over the world as well as my family. It is really hard to keep in touch with many of them and do it as often as I would like. I am setting 1 hour every two weeks to write emails and send messages to people I value enough to keep in touch. 

-Truly helping others achieve a better life

Although I can’t make a full time commitment to strive for somebody else’s life, I realized that I can dedicate  time to others and make a big impact even if my help was not the main reason of their success. I also realized that the most effective way of doing so is by helping one person at a time. I can proudly say I think I’ve had a big impact in the lives of two individuals during 2013 and feel great about it. Whether it is helping them to get their dream job, fix their current relationships or get into college, a constant marginal effort from you can make a big difference. I’ve found myself helping others by chance and still didn’t figure out how to get myself into these situations in a systematic way. Nonetheless, I want to radically impact the lives of 4 people in 2014. An in the meantime, I can keep lending money via Kiva

-Becoming a better investor and entrepreneur

I’ve already built the habit of thinking long term and working really hard to achieve my goals as an entrepreneur and investor. Each year I surprise myself with new achievements and adventures. I’ll keep up doing what I love and see what awaits for me on 2014!

How will I reward myself? I will evaluate my progress on a monthly basis and reward myself with things I truly like doing like a fancy dinner, going to the movies with my girlfriend, watching football/tennis for hour or sleeping for +10 hours. 

A big toast for a great 2014!
Güimar