Read this if you want your next resolution to actually stick!
It’s the New Year! And that means lots of New Year’s resolutions. As a rock‑and‑roll entrepreneur, I love that — January is always one of our biggest months for new enrollments. People are fired up, hopeful, and ready to try something new.
But every year I also hear a few jokes about how New Year’s resolutions are likely to last about as long as a champagne hangover.
It’s true! One of many studies showing the fleeting nature of goals is a 2023 poll from Forbes Health, which found that the average resolution lasts about 114 days, but most people start slipping by early February.
But every year I remind people of the greater truth—making a resolution or setting a goal is still a great idea!
Why Goals Are Still Worth It
The science is clear — goals matter. People with goals aligned to what they value tend to report higher life satisfaction, positive emotions, and well‑being compared to those without goals. And even if they fail, they tend to make more progress.
An imperfect goal that you work on beats not having a goal at all.
You know what you call somebody who said they’d practice regularly for a whole year and who got sidetracked after 114 days? A much better guitar player / language speaker / etc. than they were 114 days ago, that’s what!
And there’s even research showing that pursuing goals can improve psychological functioning — including motivation and engagement — even if you don’t fully achieve them.
That means having a goal and moving toward it regularly does more for your happiness than the moment you reach it. Crazy, huh?
But what if you could set goals in a way that makes success and consistency and a sense of progress even greater?
From A to Z Is a Terrible Plan For Goal Setting
To make a good thing better, we need to be more intentional about how we set goals. One concept that I love is from the fitness guru Dan John: the idea of Point A, Point B, and Point Z.
- Point A is where you are right now. In guitar land, it might mean you really want to play but don’t know a chord yet — or it might mean you already know a few chords.
- Point Z is your dream destination. In guitar land, that might be wowing your friends, ripping through your favorite songs, playing on stage or, heck, playing Madison Square Garden. Whatever your Point Z is, that’s more than fine—that’s awesome. But…
- Point Z is far away. Not only can you probably not get all the way there this year…depending on your Point A and your Point Z and how the world turns, you might not ever get there. Ooof!
And that’s why Point B matters so much.
Point B is the next logical step — something that you can fully believe in, which takes you in the direction of your ideal self and ideal outcomes. It’s not a “distant shore”…it’s close enough that you can see the porchlight, smell supper cooking, and hear your old dog barking.
Maybe Point B is:
- Taking a class
- Learning a new chord
- Playing a song from beginning to end
- Or just playing guitar for 10 minutes a day
How About a “New Month’s Resolution”?
A few years ago I had the privilege of hearing the Olympic gold medalist and coach Lanny Bassham give a speech on his “directive affirmation” process (detailed in his book “With Winning In Mind”.) Bassham has his athletes focus on 28 days at a time because that’s a human‑scale chunk of time for building habits, skills and capabilities.
An Olympics might be four years away. That’s so far away!
Next January is also so far away!
But 28 or 30 days?
That’s doable.
So why not do what all of Bassham’s gold medal-winning athletes did. Why not take it a month at a time? That is a great time frame for gradually turning yourself into a bit more of who you want to be!
So What’s Your Next 30‑Day Goal?
What do you want to do for the next month? Who do you want to be for the next 30 days?
And then let’s do fractals! Now that you have a 30-day picture, ask the magic question:
So…
What am I going to do today?
Let’s make this month count — one chord, one song, one day at a time.
As always, I’m thrilled to have a life in music. Thank you and…
On To Greatness!
Dan Emery
Founder, NYC Guitar School
Learn Guitar in NYC
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