I was curious — what had I resolved to do last New Year? Seems my resolution was to get more comfortable on social media. Has it happened? Sort of. I’m posting on my website and Facebook about every 6 weeks, so that works for me.

Map out your goal to achieve resolutions

Honestly, anything I’ve accomplished that I care about (for example, passing POPAT last year) was based on following a coherent plan.

Rather than sweeping “I will” resolutions, the useful way to approach goals is to set your end point goal. Then work backwards to what you need to do to get there. Make yourself a road map by breaking down the goal into manageable chunks. Set a timeframe, and check in with yourself honestly to see what you’re willing to commit to. Decide how you’ll measure your progress to keep yourself on track.

30 for 30

The director of Academie Duello recently challenged swordplay students to a 30 for 30, that is, committing to spending at least 30 minutes a day on sword skills for 30 days. I’ve modified this to a 15 for 30, where my daily 15 minutes are about general martial arts practice, which for me could be swordplay, Brazilian jiu jitsu, or Wing Chun.

So far it’s been a mix of reading articles, watching YouTube, and plain old practising. You can never go wrong with old-fashioned work! And it’s already helped me feel more solid in class.

Contact me if you need help formulating your plan to bring physical resolutions to reality.