How to Make Powerful New Year’s Resolutions
By: Michelle Loucadoux
Tags: Motivation, Self Improvement, Books, Inspiration, Resolutions

How to Make Powerful New Year’s Resolutions

Photo by JOSHUA COLEMAN on Unsplash

When it comes to making New Year’s resolutions, many of us don’t exactly set ourselves up for success. We squint at the future through our hazy eggnog hangovers, lackadaisically pondering things like, “I should start being healthier next year,” while we microwave yet another bowl of leftover stuffing.

Then, when the last day of the calendar year rolls around, after many glasses of champagne, we declare our new goals to our tipsy friends and decide that the next day will be the first day of the rest of our lives. Unfortunately, after New Year’s Day, we slowly but surely forget about half of our resolutions (because we probably didn’t write them down) and passively watch as they each fall to the wayside, usurped by the demands of everyday life.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I fully support taking time to relax and regroup during the holiday season, but starting to think about your New Year’s resolutions on or about December 30th usually doesn’t work out so well by January 15th. So, in the interest of creating an even better 2021 for all of us, I’d like to offer a piece of friendly advice — do your research first.

You probably have a good idea as to what you want to improve or change in your life for the upcoming year, so why not grab a book to read about how to make your positive life change(s) before setting up your resolutions? Want to be better with your finances? There’s a book to help you with that. Want to create better habits? There’s a book for that as well. No matter what you want to accomplish in 2021, there’s most likely a book to guide you toward success.

I’ll be writing an article a little closer to New Year’s Day about how to create structure around keeping your resolutions, but before that, I highly recommend that you soak in the wisdom of others in order to better conquer your new year. As luck would have it, I’m a super self-improvement nerd and have read practically every book on improving almost every part of your life. (Incidentally, I will fully admit that I have followed all of the advice I read.)

So, without further ado, here are five books I have read that I believe might help you get started on creating New Year’s resolutions that will stick throughout the entire year to come:

If you want to lose weight . . .

The Obesity Code (Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss) — by Jason Fung

This book was absolutely fascinating. Not only does author Jason Fung made it easy to start on a weight loss journey, but he also does it in a fun (and often funny) way. Doctor Fung writes about the links obesity has to numerous different chronic diseases. His explanation of the importance of how and what we eat turned on so many light bulbs in my brain.

Dr. Fung explains the effects of insulin on our bodies, why humans are becoming more and more overweight, and offers some easy ways to get healthier (and thinner) while also saving a bit of dough. Since reading the book, I have incorporated the recommended intermittent fasting, I feel more energetic, and I have also shed a few pounds. Whether you choose to heed Dr. Fung’s advice or not, it’s a pretty eye-opening read.

If you want to be better with money . . .

I almost didn’t add this book to my Audible library because I really disliked the title, but it was recommended by a friend, so I took the plunge. I’m glad I did. This book, as advertised, is a no BS step-by-step way to get control of your finances and turn them toward a future of financial freedom.

Not only does this book walk you through getting out of debt, saving money, automating your finances, and maximizing your investments, it also literally gives you scripts for what to say when doing all of this. I was happily surprised by the level of detail provided in this book. I will say that anyone looking to improve their finances in the new year can benefit from this book. It even gives you a timeline for each of the steps it lays out for financial improvement.

If you want to be a better leader . . .

Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (New Edition) —by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

This book turned the way I thought about leadership upside down. When I read it, I was leading a team of 72 people and I was empowered and inspired by the wisdom shared in the pages of this book. Additionally, after reading this book, I became a more confident and authoritative leader in general.

In this book, Mr. Willink and Mr. Babin share the secrets that help the United States Navy SEALs accomplish highly specialized and extremely difficult tasks . . . as a team. They do a great job relating these tactics to the issues people face in everyday life and I walked away from this book feeling like I could confidently and transparently lead my team through any situation.

If you want to learn how to unplug and balance your life . . .

Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder — By Arianna Huffington

Life is not all about the hustle. There must be some balance. And if there isn’t? Well, our bodies will eventually force us to create balance. In this thoughtful book, Arianna Huffington talks about the moment she realized that she had been working so hard that her body refused to allow her to abuse it any longer.

Ms. Huffington asserts that our society currently has two metrics with which we measure success — money and power. But, she believes that, in order to create true success, we need to add a third metric to that equation. Truly, reading this book was like a breath of fresh air in the city smog of today’s hustle culture. The underlying message seems to be, “It’s okay to stop for a moment. In fact, that pause could be the one thing that keeps you alive.”

If you want to change your bad habits . . .

High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way — By Brendon Burchard

This book, in my opinion, is the perfect self-improvement book. It is conversational and an easy read, but it also incorporates an inordinate amount of research and science behind its advice. Burchard breaks up the habits of high performers into six easy bits: seek clarity, generate energy, raise necessity, increase productivity, develop influence, and demonstrate courage.

Then, he breaks down each one of these and offers easily actionable tricks to incorporate them into your life. This book was so helpful to me that I listened to the Audible version of it two times in a row. I even pop in now and then to Burchard’s podcast. I believe that if you want to improve any of your bad habits, this is a great book to teach you how to do it.