You were born a badass, and you were not put here to fail. You were put here to succeed and make the world a better place. You were put here to have a positive impact and to share amazing experiences with others.

And here we are, already a few months into 2019. You started out with new goals, dreams, and adventures you wanted to bring to life. Have you stayed the course? Or do you already feel yourself sliding?

If you’re sliding, it’s because your goal execution reversed. Here’s what most do: they list out each step and the results of their goal. But few spend time asking themselves who they need to be to achieve those goals.

Are you going to be resourceful, creative, dedicated, unstoppable, patient?

Look close. You choose goals because of how it will make you feel and who you will be once reaching them. And at the core of every want is the desire to feel good in the having of it. But if the journey to the goal sucks, if you are fighting yourself the entire way, if you let old thoughts hold you back, if you aren’t being the kind of person who could reach that goal, then you will never achieve it or get that good feeling your searching for.

Instead, focus on who you will be. The goals, resolutions, and commitments then get easier. In fact, doing this gives you more chance for success than anything else you do.

It is pretty safe to say whatever your goal is, it will likely feel tough once the initial motivation wears off. So you must do the counterintuitive thing: stay more committed to who you need to be than what you do. This will ensure you stay the course.

It’s tough to do new things from the mindset of the person who hasn’t reached the goal. So you must create a 2.0 badass version of yourself and operate from there. You do this by:

Creating a mental image in your head of 2.0 badass you, and how that person looks and behaves.

Writing out how this person handles obstacles and successes.

Spending more time focused on who you need to be instead of what you are doing.

Each time you bump up against the old you that won’t get you to where you want say to yourself: That’s so 2018! And get back to being the new improved 2019 version of yourself.

Get reconnected to who you want to BE every day and get big shifts in your life.

And why connect every day?

Because you’ll get caught up in the minutia. You’ll have every opportunity to lose focus. You’ll play small, complain, and find a reason to quit.

Conditions are going to challenge you. And people will always offer advice. But watch yourself. You’ll say they don’t understand what you are facing. How hard it is. And it’s true, the crap in your life, no one will ever take it away from you. It is hard. It hurts. And, you have the right to keep it.

But the important thing is: Your struggles are irrelevant to who you want to be.

How does the saying go? There is always a way for the committed and a condition for those who are not. So ask yourself, how important is it that you feel good, no matter what life brings your way?

Look, you don’t get merit badges for pointing out all the things blocking you. If you want to break out, you need to focus on who you want to be in the face of those challenges.

And you don’t have to be perfect, a saint, or even talented to do it. Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Bill Clinton, Mike Tyson — all accomplished amazing things. And each was deeply flawed, not perfect in the slightest. But they knew who they needed to be to get the job done and further their cause.

To accomplish, to achieve, to prove yourself, be the badass you know you are with a mental motorcycle helmet that says NO to garbage and YES to what’s good.

This is your year: the year you turn your grit into greatness. It’s time to thank the old version of yourself for taking all the punches so you could now become this new you. Protect it. Nurture it. And don’t let any thought or person steal it from you!

Need help turning your burnout into badass health, freedom, and energy? Chat with us here: movethinksmile.com/talk