I’m not interested in New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, I actively discourage people from making resolutions that will statistically be broken soon after January 1. If you are really committed to change, today is January 1st. You don’t need to wait until some arbitrary date on the calendar.

I’m also going to avoid the common year-end review. Maybe it’s because I’m a contrarian. I see what everyone else is doing and I want to do the opposite. I never did succumb to peer pressure even as a kid. 

I am, however, willing to think about my theme for next year. I have spent a lot of time and effort over the last couple of years “sharpening the saw.” This is the parlance used in the personal development space. I have been working primarily on my physical health and mental focus. I have also been refining skills and learning new subjects. 

As a coach friend of mine put it one time, “It doesn’t matter how well you practice if you’re not putting points on the board at game time.” Sooner or later, all this sharpening and foundational work need to lead to results. 

In this context, what do points look like? It could be a new source of income. It could be publishing a book or offering some other product. It could be favorable numbers on a glucose/ketone measuring device or a scale. I say it’s all of the above. 

Practice is over. It’s game time. At the start of the game, the scoreboard always shows 0-0. It’s time to put points on the board.