We are just hours into the new year of 2022 and you might already be exhausted with all of the “New Year, New You” resolutions that will be abandoned before the confetti is cleaned up in Times Square. Studies show that two thirds of New Year’s Resolutions are forgotten less than four weeks into the new year.
I get caught up in it myself. I think of the hypocrisy of my first paragraph while also declaring that my plan is to publish a blog post every day in 2022. Now, that sounds a bit insane. You might say, Vin, you have barely blogged at all over the past few years. That space on your website has been a alphabetical graveyard for longer than you can remember. Now, on January 1st, like everyone else, you are going to make a giant declaration that you and I know will be abandoned like all of the others out there in Resolutionland?
And you might be right.
I have made declarations like this before and failed spectacularly. Yet, I started a podcast and come hell or high water, it publishes everyday. Even if it means shushing the kids at 10:48pm after returning from the amusement park, when they are hopped up on sugar and stomach twisting rides after realizing that I need to hit record because the podcast slipped my mind that day. But It had to get done.
But why does that soldier on while so many other goals fail? I think it has to do with accountability. When I put that first podcast out there, and there were downloads right away, I made a declaration that I would be back tomorrow for those people. When I made a declaration to myself to do 100 pushups a day, I had an easier time sliding. There was nobody there counting on me to do it the next day. But when I knew someone was waiting on me, I needed to deliver.
So no matter the situation, something had to publish. Would it be my best work? Certainly not. But did I declare to only put my very best work out, or did I declare to publish a podcast daily? It’s a big difference there. It’s so easy to not press publish because we aren’t ready yet. It’s easily justifiable to say that we need a little more time.
I have a friend who has a podcast, but refuses to write for a blog or his show notes. Why doesn’t he want to write?
“I’m not a good writer,” he said.
So how does a bad writer become a good writer? The answer is so deep. You write. How does a bad podcaster become a better podcaster? You record. And then you publish. You publish when you know it isn’t good enough. But you do it anyway, and you do it consistently. Because the best way to remain a bad writer is to not write.
And like I mentioned in this episode of the Total Life Freedom Podcast, all you need is a little taste of success. For me, I had that taste of success in publishing a podcast episode daily. It didn’t matter how many people listened. All I needed was one to keep me going. Yet, because I didn’t stop, we just passed 500,000 downloads of the show.
So, I publish today not knowing if anyone is reading. This is new. This is scary. And this is fun. And I learned that I am more energized by consistency than I am by achievement.
Here’s to what I am sure will be an amazing 2022 for you!
Happy New Year!
– Vincent
P.S.- Today is a brand new season for the Total Life Freedom Podcast! I have tweaked the format for more structure, organization and collaboration. We are doing weekly themes, and we will be bringing in conversations with guest experts relating to those themes. I’m beyond excited. Check out episode 1 of season 2 right here!
