Sometimes the simplest things are the most profound.

That’s what I thought when read my friend Tom Leveen’s recent author newsletter. He’s a fabulous writer and an insightful thinker. I hope you’re as inspired as I am by his words, and that they help you take another step toward Becoming Yourself.

You only need one resolution. THE ONLY NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YOU’LL EVER NEED:    Do one pushup, with a straight back, chest to ground, perfect form.   Can’t do that? Do one pushup from your knees.   Can’t do that? Do one push-off from the wall.   (Can’t do that? Call your doctor and make an appointment now, you are in a bad, bad way.)   Then tomorrow, do it again. Do it every day until you get comfortable. Then do two. When two becomes comfortable, do three.   Can you already bust out 50 pushups? Cool. Bust out 51.   Can you walk comfortably 10 minutes? Walk 11.   Can you jog for 60 minutes straight? Jog 61.   Do you need to reduce your added sugar intake? (Spoiler alert: Yes.) Total up all your added grams of sugar on January 1, and on January 2, eat 1 gram less. When that’s comfortable, eat 2 grams less.   You do not need to join a gym. Save your money. You do not need expensive running shoes. Save your money. All you really need is your body, and a clear space on the floor about the size of a prison cell.   The only resolution you ever need to make is to get 1% better every day. For the rest of your life.   Do that, and I swear to you you’ll be stunned at how many goals you’ve crushed this time next year. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, creative. Whatever.   That is how I went from weighing 120 pounds and in the worst depression of my life to weighing more than 150 pounds (lean muscle!) and completing 13.5 hours of a physical crucible coached by retired Navy SEALs.   When a 60+ year-old retired combat veteran Master Chief who just an hour previous was screaming in your ear to GET OFF YOUR KNEES, LEVEN! shakes your hand, looks you in the eye, and says, “You did it! I’m proud of you!” you feel that shit in your soul, and it lasts forever.   The first time you bust out a Murph (1 mile run, 100 pull ups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and another 1 mile run) in 75 minutes, you realize your old way of thinking about limitations is over.   The first time you bang out 50 pushups in 2 minutes, you start to re-evaluate your creative, artistic, and business goals.   The first time you knock out 5,000 words of a novel in one day, you realize the old paradigms don’t apply anymore.   Do not compare yourself to anyone else. You are only competing against your own baseline to get 1% better today than yesterday at your goal.  That’s it. You got this. 1% better than yesterday.   Thank you so much for being here. I’ve got some great stories to tell you in 2024, I can’t wait to share them with you! Take care,  ~ Tom P.S. My linktree is the best place to keep up with all my projects – YA novels, comics, horror stories, audiobooks and podcasts…all of it! I’ve started two new serials as well. linktr.ee/tomleveen

Tom Leveen is an award-winning novelist and Bram Stoker Award finalist who has written for the comic book series SPAWN and fiction for the BattleTech RPG. For Tom’s YA, horror, and more, check out linktr.ee/tomleveen