
As we step into another year, let me be brutally honest with you: most people will waste it. They’ll squander 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days of opportunity on excuses, distractions, and half-hearted efforts. They’ll make resolutions they don’t keep, talk about goals they don’t pursue, and wonder why their lives are stagnant or spiraling downward. If you don’t want to be one of those people, listen up—this isn’t going to be comfortable, but growth never is.
Here’s the truth: no one is coming to save you. Not the government, not your boss, not your spouse, not your mentor. The life you have today is the sum total of the decisions you made yesterday, last month, and last year. If you want something different, you’re going to have to do something different. The New Year isn’t a magic reset button; it’s just another day. The only thing that matters is what you do with it.
Step 1: Take a Cold, Hard Look in the Mirror
Before you start planning for the year ahead, you need to confront the unfiltered truth about where you are right now. Stop sugarcoating your situation. Stop blaming external circumstances. Stop comparing yourself to others who are also stuck or mediocre and using that as justification for your lack of progress.
Ask yourself:
1. What did I accomplish last year? Be specific. Not vague intentions, but measurable results. If the list is embarrassingly short, that’s on you.
2. Where did I waste time, energy, and resources? Identify the habits, people, and distractions that held you back.
3. What excuses did I cling to? We all have them: “I don’t have time,” “I’m not ready,” “It’s not the right moment.” Excuses are lies we tell ourselves to justify staying comfortable.
4. What am I avoiding? Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of discomfort—whatever it is, name it. If you can’t confront your fears, they’ll control you.
Brutal self-honesty is the foundation of growth. You can’t build a skyscraper on quicksand, and you can’t build a meaningful life on a foundation of denial.
Step 2: Define Ruthless Priorities
The next step is to set priorities that matter. Not vague aspirations like “be healthier” or “make more money,” but clear, specific, and actionable goals. The kind of goals that force you to grow into a new version of yourself.
Here’s the thing about priorities: you can’t have a dozen of them. If everything is a priority, nothing is. Focus on three to five areas that truly matter. These might include:
• Your health
• Your career or business
• Your relationships
• Your personal growth
• Your financial stability or growth
For each priority, define a North Star goal—the one outcome that would make the biggest difference in that area. Then, break it down into quarterly, monthly, and weekly milestones. Don’t just write them down; commit to them with urgency and intention.
Step 3: Get Obsessed with Execution
Now comes the hard part: execution. Ideas are worthless without action. Motivation is fleeting. If you want results, you need discipline, consistency, and relentless focus.
Here’s what this looks like:
1. Control Your Time: Your time is your most valuable asset, and most people waste it without a second thought. Audit your schedule ruthlessly. Eliminate time-wasting activities, delegate what you can, and create blocks of uninterrupted time for deep work. Guard your time like your life depends on it—because it does.
2. Master Your Habits: Your habits are the engine of your life. Build habits that align with your goals, and eliminate ones that don’t. Start small, but be relentless in your pursuit of better routines.
3. Track Your Progress: What gets measured gets managed. Use a journal, an app, or a simple spreadsheet to track your daily and weekly progress. Celebrate small wins, but don’t let them make you complacent.
4. Embrace Discomfort: Growth doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. If you’re not regularly doing things that scare you or stretch you, you’re not growing. Stop running from discomfort and start seeking it out.
Step 4: Confront Your Weaknesses Head-On
Let me say this plainly: you are your own worst enemy. Your insecurities, procrastination, lack of focus, fear of failure—these are the barriers standing between you and the life you want. The sooner you confront them, the sooner you’ll break through.
Here’s how to deal with your weaknesses:
1. Own Them: Stop pretending they don’t exist. Acknowledge your flaws and limitations.
2. Work on Them: Whether it’s seeking therapy, hiring a coach, reading books, or simply practicing self-discipline, take active steps to improve.
3. Leverage Your Strengths: While you’re working on your weaknesses, double down on your strengths. Use them as leverage to create momentum.
4. Build a Support System: Surround yourself with people who challenge you, inspire you, and hold you accountable. Cut ties with people who drain your energy or encourage mediocrity.
Step 5: Stop Waiting for Permission
One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting for someone else to give them the green light to pursue their dreams. Stop waiting for the perfect time, the perfect opportunity, or the perfect circumstances—they don’t exist. If you want something, go after it with everything you’ve got.
This also means taking ownership of your decisions. No more blaming others. No more playing the victim. Everything in your life is a reflection of the standards you’ve set for yourself. Raise your standards, and your life will rise to meet them.
Step 6: Make Sacrifices Now for the Life You Want Later
You can’t have it all—not if “having it all” means indulging in every whim and avoiding hard choices. Growth requires sacrifice. You have to give up short-term pleasure for long-term gain. That might mean:
• Waking up earlier to work on your goals.
• Saying no to social events that don’t align with your priorities.
• Investing money in education or coaching instead of material possessions.
• Letting go of toxic relationships, even if it’s painful.
The question you need to ask yourself is this: What am I willing to give up to achieve my goals? If your answer is “nothing,” then stop pretending you want to grow.
Step 7: Develop Relentless Resilience
Let me promise you something: this year won’t go according to plan. Life will throw curveballs. You will face setbacks, failures, and moments of doubt. The difference between those who grow and those who stay stuck is resilience.
Resilience means:
• Adapting to Change: When things don’t go as planned, adjust your strategy but never your commitment to the goal.
• Learning from Failure: Failure isn’t the opposite of success; it’s part of the process. Embrace it, learn from it, and keep moving forward.
• Staying Consistent: Progress isn’t always linear. Stay the course, even when it feels like you’re not making headway.
Step 8: Leave a Legacy
Growth isn’t just about you. It’s about the impact you have on others. As you grow, lift others up. Share your knowledge, mentor someone, and contribute to causes bigger than yourself. A life of growth is ultimately a life of service.
Ask yourself:
• What kind of legacy do I want to leave?
• How can I use my growth to make a difference?
When you focus on serving others, your growth takes on a deeper meaning and purpose.
The Bottom Line: This Year is Yours to Waste or Win
Let me leave you with this: the clock is ticking. You have 365 days ahead of you, and they will pass whether you use them or not. Don’t look back a year from now and wish you’d started sooner. Start now. Start messy. Start scared. Just start.
The life you want is on the other side of discomfort, discipline, and relentless action. Stop waiting. Stop making excuses. Take ownership of your growth and make this year the turning point of your life.
About Dr. Abiola Salami
Dr. Abiola Salami is the Convener of Dr Abiola Salami International Leadership Bootcamp ; The Peak PerformerTM Festival Made4More Accelerator Program and The New Year Kickoff Summit. He is the Principal Performance Strategist at CHAMP – a full scale professional services firm trusted by high performing business leaders for providing Executive Coaching, Workforce Development & Advisory Services to improve performance. You can reach his team on hello@abiolachamp.com and connect with him @abiolachamp on all social media platforms.