Broke your resolutions for 2022? Use jiu-jitsu.

A wise master once taught: Successfully accomplishing a mission only depends on two simple actions. The first is to start. The second is to finish. 

In the case of new year's resolutions, success is almost always nonexistent, and the willpower that was so abundant in December expires before February. And it turns into a joke, as in that line from the writer Luis Fernando Verissimo: "I like diets so much, I start a new one every Monday."

So how can you feed your focus and reach your dreams when even the start of a whole new calendar seems like insufficient inspiration? Why, with the philosophy of jiu-jitsu, of course. 

The first measure to take to start a task—and conclude it satisfactorily—is to keep it pleasurable and fun. What leads people to grab their gi and run to the gym? It's the feeling of fun in those few hours and the feeling of peace, relief and lightness. 

The second point is to outline your goal and the tactical plans of how to reach it. Remember that the more important and real that desire is for you, the more energy you will be able to invest in it. 

But energy is not enough; it's necessary to have a dose of realism, especially when picking your strategies. For example: my plan is to weigh this much less until such deadline. And the method? Well, I'll stop buying soda at the grocery store. And I'll swap that bread and jelly in the morning for a nice piece of fruit. 

The next point is to use your strategic mind and realize: at the end of the day, what is stopping you from changing and getting what you desire? Identify the obstacle before acting. In your training, don't you stop dead as soon as your sparring partner sinks their hand deep in your collar? The commandment here is: "Problem detected? Solve the problem." Have you located the obstacle that is in the way of your flowing and having a lighter 2022? Remove the obstacle. 

Lastly, mind your consistency. Think and rethink your plan daily. Write down your objective in some computer file or piece of paper to leave it around, easily seen on a mirror, fridge or desktop. Tell a trustworthy friend about your plans. 

 

Now it's easy. Per the wise master, you just have to get started, whether it's January or any other month. And then finish. 

And if one day you wake up unmotivated, thinking of abandoning your big dream, feed your focus with a simple thought, by putting your first and last name in the blanks:

“Time flies, and I'll never again be ______ _____, only in this life! I need to enjoy that to the fullest while I can.”

Analyze your qualities, desires and talents. And don't ever waste them. Oss...