Make it Major

2026-01-25 - 21:06

If you’re like me, someone who loves the clean-slate energy of a new day, a new week, or a new month (especially when the month starts on a Monday), then you’ve probably made some resolutions for this new year. Or, as I like to call them: New Year’s “revolutions”. And if you’ve already slipped, missed a day, skipped a workout, or cheated on your plan, welcome to the most crowded club in the world. Research shows that 88% of people who set New Year’s resolutions fail them within the first two weeks. There’s even a name for it: “Quitters’ Day,” pegged by Strava after analyzing the behavior of 31.5 million users. It consistently lands on the second Friday of January, when the data shows motivation tends to collapse. This year, that fell on Friday, January 9, just last week. Which means that, by the time you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve already given up. I’m not here to berate you. In fact, I’m a longstanding member of the club. I’ve already snuck in a cheeky cigarette I shouldn’t have, had the glass of wine I said I wouldn’t, and broken fasts hours ahead of schedule. I’ve hit the snooze button too many times, and procrastinated tasks until the cows came home to moo me into motion. The only thing I haven’t done yet, though, is quit. That’s not how change works. That’s how the same year repeats itself. And besides, the year has barely begun. Also, things like waking up earlier, eating cleaner, working out more—the usual suspects to show up on almost everyone’s resolution list—don’t make it on mine. Yes, I want those things too. But they’re not what I build my year around. Start the business. Write the book. Launch the thing. Make the move. Build the platform. Those are the kinds of goals worth obsessing over, the ones with extraordinary outcomes that can completely change the shape of your life. Strava’s so-called “Quitters’ Day” this year also happened to land on the 5-year anniversary, to the day, of one of the biggest moves I’ve ever made: moving to Armenia. Since then, I’ve transformed countless times, and the metamorphosis is far from over. Because finding Armenia and falling in love with it so deeply that I grew to care for its future even more than my own, did something fundamental. It made me want to become the best version of myself. Braver, more disciplined, and more honest about who I am and what I want. It raised the stakes. And when the stakes are high enough, quitting is no longer an option. So, for each of those last five years, I’ve started every January the same way, writing down ten major dreams I want to make come true. Not “be better” goals. Big-bang goals. Some personal. Some professional. Some financial. Most of them, ridiculous. Because they’re big enough to require a certain level of delusional determination, enough to keep me going long after the initial excitement evaporates, doing whatever it takes, in whatever order it takes, for however long it takes, to get there. Do I hit all ten of my goals within the calendar year? No. But I do hit most, and the rest don’t die. They spill over into the next year, and sometimes the next one after, until the timing catches up with the vision. Sometimes it takes two years. Sometimes three. I’m building a life, not running a race. And guess what: once the goals are major enough, the “resolution-y” stuff starts to fall into place anyway. Getting up earlier. Eating better. Training smarter. Even though I may not get it right every single day, I do get it right far more often than I ever used to, because these habits become adjacent support for the bigger mission. They stop being the point, and start being the fuel. And if you want a cosmic permission slip to reset: here it is. Technically, by the Chinese zodiac, we’re still in the Year of the Snake. The Year of the Fire Horse doesn’t begin until February 17, 2026. In other words, if the first weeks of January felt like a slow slither, that’s fine. Snake energy is strategic, internal, shedding skin. But the Horse (if you care about this sort of thing) represents energy, freedom and drive, and its rare once-every-60-years combination with the Fire element adds boldness, passion and intensity, making the Year of the Fire Horse symbolic of dynamic change and powerful forward motion. So, if you find yourself frustrated right now, struggling to stay on track, just chill out. You can consider the new year is still loading. But whatever you do, don’t confuse delay with defeat. Don’t turn an imperfect week into a doomed year. The only thing that matters is what you do next. Re-enter. Return. Keep going. Because if you’ve already “failed,” you’re in excellent company. You haven’t hit the end of the road. You just left the fantasy lane and entered the part with weather, traffic and potholes. Welcome. This is where people actually change their lives. And if you’re going to do it, if you’re going to build something this year that your future self will thank you for, then don’t make it cute. Don’t make it vague. Don’t make it optional. Make it major, or don’t even bother. See all [Unleashed] articles here Comment Listen to Sheila’s personal reading of “Make it Major”. Your browser does not support the audio element. Sheila Paylan is an international human rights lawyer and former legal advisor to the United Nations. Now based in Yerevan, she regularly consults for a variety of international organizations, NGOs, think tanks, and governments.