Under Pressure

New year, new you ?

Happy new year (2026) readers. I hope you had a good break over the festive period and have taken some time to rest, recharge and reflect, as the year ticks over from 2025 to 2026.

I've been seeing various posts on social media from people about new year resolutions and I'm sure the gyms are rubbing their hands in glee as the new membership subscriptions start hitting their bank accounts. They know the drill. the next few weeks will get busy, the regulars will be in a bit of a grump if they can't get on their favourite bit of equipment as easily as they could in December and, as we drift towards February, things will get back to normal.

The 'resolutioners' will start failing to live up to the unrealistic expectations they set themselves, failure will turn to disappointment and by February things will be as they were, apart from you feeling slightly more sh1t than you did because you didn't even get to February before falling off the resolution wagon.

I've been there and done it for a lot of years and I bet a lot of you have done the same. I worked out a fair few years ago that however monumental we think the new year is, it's just another day, so why would going from 31st December to 1st January have some extra mystical power that propels you towards this new you in a sustainably way ? I also believe that if you try and fail every year you build a pattern that increases your chance of failure and 'new you' can quickly become unobtainable.

So maybe it's time to take a step back from new years resolutions and do something a little different.

The Elephant that is 'New You'

Christmas is a weird time of year. It's probably the only time you will experience a cheese coma after eating your own body weight in the stuff, you get to spend time with people that you may not like because it's the thing to do and, for some, ferrero rocher can become a food group (I've had some carbs, veg, fruit, meat and two boxes of ferrero rocher....).

As someone who generally follows a slimming world type low fat regime for most of the year, I'm feeling bloated and sluggish at the moment and not sleeping that well. I did the first healthy shop of the year this morning and Vanessa and I agreed that we were looking forward to getting back on track. We weighed in on Friday (ouch !) and have paid for 12 weeks in advance and I'm aiming to loose 20lbs.

Now that may sound a bit resolutiony, but it isn't, because:

1. 12 weeks takes us up to our next holiday so we have very few events to distract us from eating healthily;
2. We're not new to this and can eat well whilst sticking to plan;
3. We have both lost amounts in excess of this before so we know it is acheivable, if we can be bothered.
4. I want to be bikini ready for the hols (sorry, you may not be able to get that image out of your head....).

So there are some solid drivers for this, past evidence of success and it isn't a significant change in our daily routine for a really positive change in our health. If we throw in a bit more exercise like walking on top of mucking out the horses a few times a week, we're setting ourselves up for a success.

That's the thing about 'new you'. It's big and shiny and encapsulates a load of changes that you've wanted to make for years. But if the change is elephantine in size your chance of failing is very high.

Making it manageable

When my good friend, Dr. Andy Cope, was researching the minority of people who live their best life most of the time - the 2%ers, he found that they set themselves HUGGs (Huge Unbelievably Great Goals). They do it in the knowledge that they will probably fail, but in failing they will achieve way more that setting one of those SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely). We also talk about SUGGs which are small unbelievably great goals, recognising that HUGGs need to be broken down sometimes.

Both are great if you are ok with the potential failure that accompanies them. But if you're just at the start of your journey to best self and the 'new you' you're dreaming of is massively different from the current you, a HUGG might be a bridge too far. Yes, you can split the HUGG down into SUGGs, but maybe the potential failure that accompanies a SUGG is well outide what you can cope with at the moment. So in my reflection this week I started to realise that maybe SMART isn't that bad if it can help you move forwards and get to SUGGs and HUGGs.

Reflecting on my own journey, when I came across Andy and the Art of Brilliance I found the stuff relatively easy to implement. Yes I needed to be bothered and, like any habit change, it took consistent effort, but I was building on 10 years of personal change. If you've been tending the soil for 10 years it's going to be a lot easier to plant the seeds and get good solid growth, isn't it ?

Small Achievable Goals (SAGs)

So for those of you who are just starting your journey back to best self, if HUGGs and SUGGs are a bit out there start with one or two SAGs. What one thing could you change that you have the resources and capability to do that would be a step towards best self ? Forget gym membership, but start moving more, do the stairs more often, walk to the shops, park in the furthest corner of the car park at work. If it's eating, be mindful when you eat, manage your snacking better, go skinny on your latte and reduce the sugar intake.

Make the SAGs a stretch, but not too much. Make one change, make it stick and then add another. Make the next SAG a little bit more challenging than the last so that stretching yourself becomes the norm. Work your way from a SAG to a SUGG at your own pace and build that evidence you need to inspire you to set yourself a HUGG.

Will this work for me ?

If you are reading this post you're probably on the journey to rediscover your best self, looking for tips and tricks that will help you in some way. One of the questions that is likely to go through your head is 'will this work for me ?' On the face of it, this is a sensible question to assess the value of the content you're digesting, because none of us have time to waste on stuff that won't work.

The problem with the question is that it is a closed one offering you a yes or no answer. If your brain is great at finding reasons to make it work, it's a fine question. If you have ninja skills in finding reasons it won't work it is an awful question. Until you add the magical three letter word - how ?

How will this work for me ?

'How' makes your curiosity kick in and fires up the creative areas of your brain. 'How' gives you permission to customise the idea to fit into your life. 'How' can move something from scary to exciting, from beyond reach to achievable, from dreams to reality. 'How' changes everything.

Going back to new years resolutions and applying this, I think the question to ask ourselves is:

How can I change the way I make resolutions so that I keep them ?

It's a big question that gives your unconscious mind permission to look at past successes and failures and come up with a bespoke solution that works for you. After all, you are unique, so you deserve bespoke solutions designed specifically for you.

Remember, your unconscious mind knows you better than anyone, including your conscious mind. So the more you can engage it, the faster you will find your way back to best self.

Have a fabulous 2026.

Mike xx