At New Year, I’m reminded of a scene in the book Gates of Fire, where the Spartans battle a city called Artemisium.
Quick context: The Spartans were professional, highly disciplined soldiers — the crème de la crème of Ancient Greece. The locals were amateurs: fishermen, potters, and farmers, who hadn’t fought in battle before but had to defend their homes.
So…
The two armies are facing off…
And interestingly, have polar opposite ways of preparing themselves.
The Spartans quietly put on their armour, get into battle formation, and march forward slowly and calmly, chanting a hymn.
Whereas the locals?
Give this huge “rah-rah” motivational speech. And while this gets them pumped up and charging into battle, after a few minutes, the inevitable happens:
The motivational “high” (which the Spartans called, “fake courage”) wears off, and their spirit crumbles.
Why am I reminded of this at New Year?
Well…come January 1st…
Most people, like the locals, are “pumping themselves up”.
How they’re gonna “crush it” in 2026, making ambitious resolutions, ready to go out swinging.
But what happens?
Statistically, 95% will quit in two weeks time.
Now, don’t get me wrong.
I’m not saying that New Year is a terrible time to make changes. Au contraire - it’s a fantastic time to make changes.
But there’s an “amateur” and a “professional” way of going about it. And the “professional” way is what I’d like to share in today’s Coached.
Let’s go.
🔤 “1,2,3, Ubuntu!”
True story:
In 2007, the Boston Celtics finished almost last in the NBA.
The coach had to turn things around or he’d get fired. But there were so many problems to fix: player egos, defense, bad tactics, motivation. He knew trying to fix everything at once would end up fixing nothing.
Instead, he simplified everything down to just one idea, captured by a single word:
“Ubuntu”… which comes from the old African proverb, “I am because we are.” In plain English: “teamwork” above everything.
The word was everywhere: It was screamed at every huddle. Players said it to each other. It was on fan merch too:
The players were constantly reminded of it and it became their guiding principle.
And it worked. The Celtics pulled off one of the biggest turnarounds and won the league in 2008.
You should use this tactic too.
Choose a one-word “theme” for your year that’ll guide everything in your life, not just your career.
Mine last year was, “creativity”, and the year before was “foundations.” This year, it’s “agency.” (Why agency? I want to make more things happen for me, and want less of the routine ‘let life happen to me kinda stuff’. I’m working on an essay on this - soon!)
Then, put the word somewhere it’ll stare you in the face:
- A sticky note on your desk or bathroom mirror
- A daily placeholder recurring slot on your calendar
- Your phone background
P.S. reply with your word of the year — I’m curious what you’ll choose!
Once you have that, ask…
🎯 What’s your “one thing”?
Now, take your chosen word and distill it into a clear, practical goal. I like using Gary Keller’s "focusing question":
“What’s the 1 thing I can do this year, such that by doing it, everything else becomes easier and/or unnecessary?”
Here’s how.
- If your word is agency (like mine), your one thing might be setting a Sunday "agency block" in your calendar — one hour dedicated purely to proactively shaping your week rather than reacting to it.
- If your word is creativity, commit to breaking your routine in a small way each week - even if tiny. (Cook a new recipe, walk home via a different route, or write a post on LinkedIn on something new.)
- If your word is relationships, schedule 10 minutes every Friday to quickly check in with someone professionally — a quick email or LinkedIn message. Or simply optimizing your LinkedIn profile to make it easier for others to connect with you
(If your goals involve networking or professional growth, optimizing your LinkedIn profile is a simple first step. Use this free tool.)
The point is to let that 1 thing become the driving force that aligns with your theme.
This can obviously evolve in a month or two — but start with just one regular activity.
〰️ Turn your "one thing" into actions you fully control
Notice what most people’s resolutions look like: "lose weight," "become fluent in French," or "build a personal brand."
The problem with them?
They're outcomes. And outcomes are NOT directly within your control.
(You can’t wake up in the morning and decide how much weight you’re gonna lose, or how much French your brain remembers, or how popular you’re gonna be online).
Reason being, they’re “lag” measures that result from other actions. These other actions are called “lead” measures, and that’s what you want as a goal.
For example:
- Instead of "lose weight," your action could be "walk 4,000 steps every morning.”
- Instead of "become fluent in French," commit to "ask ChatGPT to have a convo with you in French for an hour."
- Instead of “build my brand”, write 8 pieces of LinkedIn content each week and review/tweak what works and doesn’t.
If you find your big goals are harder to break down — e.g. say it’s “get promoted by Q4” — ask yourself “What daily or weekly actions am I in full control of that would make that more likely?” That’s your lead measure.
Could be scheduling bi-weekly catch-ups with your manager to discuss growth, or volunteering for high-visibility projects.
🚨 Beware the glorious failure
One last thought to keep things on track:
In his book How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, Arnold Bennett said:
“Beware of undertaking too much at the start. A glorious failure leads nowhere, but a small win leads to something meaningful.”
In other words, if you aim too big too soon, it won’t stick.
So, my advice?
If you want to work out every day for an hour, aim for 30 minutes four times a week. If you think you can write 14 LinkedIn posts a week, aim for 4. You can always do more or change your lead measure later in the year, but the consistency is important early on.
Because remember:
We overestimate what we can do in a day, but underestimate what we can do in a year.
