Men’s Cheat Code to a Badass 2024

You have no doubt been inundated with New Years emails for days. And here you are four days into 2024 and are probably saying “I made it, phew! No more emails…” Then bam, here is the latest GFWeekly spewing some nonsense about how to make 2024 the best year yet.

Well, this year is in fact going to be the best year yet!

We are not big on New Years resolutions. We are annual offenders of making it only a few days into some pledge, that we pinky promised with our significant other, before catching ourselves sneaking a sleeve of Oreos into the coat closet in the middle of the night. (It is quiet in there, and the sound deafening of the coats is premium… sorry, not sorry)

So over the years we have gone through the adult life cycle of:

1. Have New Years Resolutions
2. “Eff New Years Resolutions”
3. “It is just another year… oooo, lint in my belly button”
4. Take control of the year by doing what we are about to explain right here…

We as humans are prone to peer pressure, have a lack of willpower, succumb to advertising, and find a bunch of other more creative ways that cause failure. It is hard to stay on a resolution.

But we believe there is a way.

And that way is creating annual themes rather than resolutions.

Lemme explain.

First let’s take a look at the difference. It is subtle, but profound. A resolution, as per Oxford Languages/Google is “a firm decision to do or not to do something”.

You may be asking yourself, “Uh isn’t that what we are trying to do…?”

And our answer may very well be yes, but let’s look at the definition of Theme by the same source:

“an idea that recurs in or pervades a work of art or literature [person’s year]”

These two sound very similar. You may just be saying, “aren’t we just making a resolution/decision to live by a theme?”

And if you did say that, you should have competed in the Debate Club because you win this argument.

But, what we are doing here is reframing the concept of a New Year’s Resolution. This reframing is crucial because it does so many things that help make you successful in your chosen endeavors. Let’s create an example of both a resolution and a theme to illustrate our point:

Resolution: “My New Years’ Resolution is to fish once a month this year”… simple enough. Actionable. Could be modified into one of those dumb “S.M.A.R.T.” goals.

Theme: “2024 is going to be the year of fishing and adventure”… sounds big and grand, maybe even exciting!

Now let’s dissect.

Resolutions are laden with guilt, while themes are packed full of action and excitement. If we look at our resolution, we have given ourselves something that sounds a lot like a task and is chalk full of traps and catch points. We are bound to fail, because there will be a month when the weather doesn’t line up on a day where we can actually get on the water. Then we will be back to sneaking that sleeve of Oreo’s in the closet.

But with our theme, it is exciting, and we provide space and pre-planned forgiveness for us to fail, unless we just absolutely don’t fish. When we use that theme as a mantra, we are confident we will be more likely to stick to it. Here is why:

When we create themes in our life, we create a new identity. And when we have identities, we tend to stick with them a lot more.

Think about all of the things we create identities around. Clothing styles, hobbies, politics, money habits, sex expectations, and even the tooth brush and his dreaded side kick “Floss”. These are things we create for ourselves to explain our existence.

If you say to yourself, “I am a stylish dresser,” you are likely to be hyper focused on keeping yourself in the best threads. If you say to yourself, “I am frugal,” you are going to find fewer invitations to dinners with friends, as you only eat Hungry Man frozen dinners.

Peer pressure and the outcomes from those mantras/themes are a real bitch motivator.

And it is no different when it comes to defining 2024’s theme. If you tell people you are going to fish once a month, you might do it. But when you fail, the ridicule and self talk will crush that personal spirit under the weight of guilt and shame.

However, when you give yourself the identity of it being a year of fishing, then you become a fisherman hell bent on adventure and making excitement. You become something, rather just doing something.

So as you plan out your 2024, think about what themes you are going to give the year and your life. Speak it loud and proud, and become what you want to become.

And we will see you out on the water.

‘Cause we fishin’ this year!