Mindset - Stop Setting Resolutions. Picture 2033 Instead.

Mindset #2 or 3

New Year's resolutions.

For most of us - They're garbage. They fail. They are transactional at best and self-defeating at worst.

I know, that's not what you are supposed to say at the beginning of a new year. We are supposed to be motivating people to set ambitious goals, to dream bigger, to make this their best year ever.

I'm interested in what actually works. And resolutions? They don't work for most of us.

Why Resolutions Fail

You already know this from experience, even if you don't want to admit it. Think about your resolutions from last year. Or the year before. How many of them did you actually accomplish? How many did you stay the course with, and how many fizzled out by February?

The gym membership you bought with such enthusiasm in January that you stopped using by March. The book you were going to write. The career change you were going to make. The relationship you were going to fix. The financial discipline you were going to maintain. Resolutions fail for a simple reason: they're bounded by an arbitrary timeline.

You set a goal to lose 20 pounds in 2026. To exercise more. To be more productive. To read more books. Maybe you stick with it for a few weeks. Maybe even a few months if you're disciplined.

But the resolution is fundamentally about changing behavior for a year. When the year ends, what happens? You're right back where you started, setting new resolutions for the next year, having learned nothing except that you're not very good at keeping resolutions.

It's a cycle of failure dressed up as ambition.

What I Learned at 53

At 53, I faced a moment that could have destroyed me. Company survival, my career, my income, my identity – all of it uncertain. At an age when most people want stability, I had the opposite. At a time many others in my age bracket were being let go.

I could have set some resolutions. "Find a new job in Q1." "Update my resume." "Network more." All very reasonable, tactical goals. I didn't do that. I asked myself a different question: What am I doing in 2030?

Not next year. Not in six months. Seven years from now (march 2024), when I'm 60, what does my life look like? Where am I? What am I doing? Who am I serving? What impact am I having?

I got specific. I pictured it. Not in vague terms like "successful" or "happy." I visualized the actual work I'd be doing, the people I'd be serving, the life I'd be living. Then I worked backward; and still am.

The Seven Year Exercise

Here's what I want you to do. Right now, or as soon as you are able, with 30 minutes of quiet.

Step 1: Picture yourself in “x” years from now.

For the sake of simplicity – lets use my seven years – and set 2032 as the working year.

Seven years from now. Put yourself in your most serene, comfortable place. Maybe it's in front of the TV, at a bar, on your kayak, mountain biking, driving. Whatever it is that you do to think clearly.

Now picture yourself in 2032. Where are you? What are you doing?

Don't be vague. Don't say "I'm successful" or "I'm happy." Get specific. What does your day look like? What work are you doing? Who are you serving? What relationships do you have? How do you spend your time?

STEP 2: Work Backward Toward Precision

For what you described to be true and realized in 2032, what would need to be true in 2030? What skills would you have? What company would you be working for? Will your relationship status change? Will you have children? Will you have a house? What salary will you be earning? What company will you be running? What will your title be? What capabilities will you have?

Example: "Established global practice with clients on multiple continents"

Now, do the same for 2028.  What needs to be a true state in 2028 to make sure you are on the correct path for 2030. Example: "2-3 books published and actively being used"

And the same for 2027. What needs to be a true state in 2027 to make sure you are on the correct path for 2028. Example: "20+ active coaching clients with documented results"

STEP 3: A Critical shift from target outcomes to specific actions

Now what needs to be done in 2026 to ensure that it is probably that you will achieve the 2027 outcomes.  We need to shift from what needs to be TRUE" (states) to "what do I need to DO" (actions)

By Quarter: What do I need to DO?

• Break 2026 into Q2, Q3, Q4

• Specific actions per quarter

• Example Q1: "5 clients, book 25% complete, 1 speaking engagement, publishing weekly"

STEP 4: The next 90 days

Most Specific Question: "What do you have to do in the next 90 days that will set your path to your destination?"

Break into 30-day increments:

• Days 1-30: Specific actions

• Days 31-60: Specific actions

• Days 61-90: Specific actions

This is the bridge from today to 2032. This helps you ensure that what you are doing today is walking you toward your hope, dream, outcome, target, objective. 

Why This Works When Resolutions Don't

When you set a resolution, you're creating a transaction with yourself. "I will lose 20 pounds in 2026." It's bounded. Limited. Transactional.

When you set a dream for 2032 and take a decision to live toward it now, you're changing the trajectory of your life.

The difference is profound. A goal for this year is about what you accomplish in 12 months. A vision for 2032 is about who you become over 7 years.

A resolution is tactical. A trajectory is strategic. A goal can fail and you're back to zero. A trajectory has momentum that compounds over time.

The Path Becomes Clear

Here's what happens when you know where you're going in 2032:

Daily decisions become easier. You're not trying to figure out what the "right" choice is in isolation. You're asking, "Does this move me toward my 2032 vision or away from it?"

Setbacks become data, not disasters. When you have a bad week or month, you're not failing at your resolution. You're course-correcting on a seven-year journey. Completely different mindset.

Small steps make sense. When you're only focused on 2026, small steps feel insufficient. When you're focused on 2032, small steps are the only thing that makes sense. You can't leap seven years into the future. You can only walk toward it.

You stop being drawn into other people's agendas and fulfilling their dreams at the cost of yours. When you have clarity about your 2032, other people's expectations and pressures lose their power. You know where you're going. They can join you or not, but they can't pull you off course.

Small Steps That Compound

Let me be clear about something: this isn't about making massive changes today. It's not about blowing up your life and starting from scratch.

Mindset transformation happens through small, behavioral steps that compound over time.

Think about building trust. You don't create trust with one grand gesture. You build it through consistent, small actions over time. Each tiny step reinforces the pattern. Each small behavioral change compounds into something powerful.

It's the same with life trajectory.

You don't need to quit your job today. You don't need to move across the country. You don't need to make some dramatic declaration. You need to take one small step toward your 2032 vision. Then another. Then another. These small steps create momentum. Momentum creates a rip current that pulls you in the direction you need to go.

What I Did

When I pictured my 2032, I saw myself coaching leaders globally. Writing. Speaking. Helping people navigate transformation. Making operational and strategic impact at the board level. Living by my principle of planting seeds that grow trees I'll never sit under. Doing this from anywhere in the world, including a cruise ship.

So what did I start doing in March 2024?

I started writing. Thirty minutes a day at first. Blog posts about leadership. Insights from my experience. Within months, I had a book. Then another. I started reaching out to people on LinkedIn. Not to sell anything. To serve. To listen. To understand their challenges. Within months, I had meaningful conversations with hundreds of people.

I started offering coaching. Free at first. Just to serve. To learn. To refine my approach. Within months, I had a global practice. None of these were dramatic moves. They were small steps. But they compounded. They created momentum. They pulled me toward my 2032.

And now, twenty months later, I'm living the early stages of that vision. Not because I made some perfect plan. Because I knew where I was going and took small steps toward it every day.

The Key: Define YOUR Direction

Here's the critical part: you have to define YOUR direction. Not someone else's. Not your parents' vision for your life. Not what society says success should look like. Not what looks good on social media. Not what your peer group is doing. Not your best friend. Not your boss. Not your idle.

Your 2032. Your vision. Your direction.

Because if you don't define where you're going, you'll be drawn into someone else's path. You'll spend your life serving other people's agendas, achieving other people's goals, living by other people's definitions of success.

And you'll wake up seven years from now wondering where the time went and why you're not where you wanted to be.

To be clear, this is not a bad thing – as long as you know what you are doing, and are comfortable with the outcome.

Common Objections

"But what if I don't know what I want in 2032?"

Start with what you don't want. That's often clearer. You might not know exactly what you want, but you probably know what you're tired of. What drains you. What feels wrong. Eliminate those things from your 2032 vision, and you're left with a clearer picture.

"But things could change. Why plan seven years out?"

You're not creating a rigid plan. You're setting a direction. When you're hiking, you pick a landmark in the distance and walk toward it. The path might wind. You might have to adjust. But you always know which direction you're moving. Same principle here.

"But what if I fail?"

This isn't about failure or success. It's about trajectory. You can't fail at having a direction. You can only adjust your path as you go. The only way you actually fail is by never defining where you're going and just drifting wherever life takes you.

What This Requires From You

This exercise requires something most people aren't willing to give: honesty. You have to be honest about what you actually want, not what you think you should want. Honest about what matters to you, not what matters to other people. Honest about what you're willing to do and what you're not.

You have to be honest about where you are right now. Not where you wish you were. Not where you used to be. Where you actually are. And you have to be honest about the gap between where you are and where you want to be in 2032. That gap might be uncomfortable to look at. Look at it anyway.

Start Today

You don't need permission to do this. You don't need the perfect moment. You don't need to wait until you have it all figured out. You need to stop setting resolutions that you know will fail. And you need to start asking: What am I doing in 2032?

Picture it. Really see it. Then work backward. What do you start today? Today! What small step can you take today that moves you toward that vision? Then take it. Then take another. Then another. Small steps compound. Direction matters more than speed. Trajectory beats tactics.

Seven years from now, you'll be somewhere. The question is: will you have chosen where you are, or will you have just drifted there?

What will you decide?

Your 2032 is waiting. But it starts today. Your right foot is on the floor.

What do you do next?

This framework emerged from navigating a career transition at 53 and has since been refined through coaching professionals globally. The 2032 Exercise is a practical tool for anyone tired of setting resolutions that fail and ready to change their life's trajectory.