Why "Resolutions" Fail (And Why "Oaths" Last)
A Resolution is a wish based on how you want to feel. An Oath is a contract based on who you are.
It is January 1st.
The air is filled with “Resolutions.”
“I resolve to lose weight.”
“I resolve to write more.”
“I resolve to be less anxious.”
Statistically, 80% of these will fail by February 15th.
Why?
Because a Resolution is a “Soft Word.” It is a wish. It relies on Motivation, and motivation is a biological weather pattern. It changes with your mood, your sleep, and your blood sugar.
The Stoics did not make resolutions. They swore Oaths.
The Architecture of an Oath
An Oath is different. It is binary. You either keep it, or you break it. It does not care how you “feel.”
Marcus Aurelius didn’t “resolve” to be a good emperor. He viewed it as a duty mandated by nature.
When you treat a behavior as an Identity rather than a Task, you remove the need for willpower.
You don’t need willpower to brush your teeth. You do it because “I am a person who has teeth.”
The 2026 Shift
As we pivot The Measured Word toward the “Architecture of Resilience,” I am asking you to abandon the Resolution.
Do not say: “I will try to go to the gym.”
Say: “I am an Athlete. Athletes train.”
Do not say: “I will try to be calmer.”
Say: “I am a Stoic. Stoics do not react to noise.”
The First Step: Secure the Hardware
You cannot hold a Stoic Oath if your biological hardware is broken.
It is hard to be resilient if you are frail.
It is hard to be calm if your nervous system is degrading.
My first challenge to you this year is not mental. It is physical.
Test your chassis. Ensure your “Neuromuscular Lifeline” is intact.
Once the body is secure, the mind has a fortress to work from.
Happy New Year. Let’s build.
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Tom, when God handed out gifts, I think he saw something special in you that caused Him to bless you with an enormous amount of intelligence. Alongside that intelligence He graced you with a humble and kind spirit. Your insights and your descriptions of those insights never cease to amaze me, yet you remain kind and humble. You are never arrogant, which I am truly thankful for!
You wrote these words -"Because a Resolution is a “Soft Word.” It is a wish. It relies on Motivation, and motivation is a biological weather pattern. It changes with your mood, your sleep, and your blood sugar". This group of sentences is a treasure trove of truths that reveal to the reader the extent to which "Society" consistently places unrealistic expectations upon us. Expectations that become the birth of "the Himalayas" within our own minds. Unattainable goals that make us feel "less than" and incapable. These "Himalayas"actually rob us of any motivation to even attempt to climb them no matter what they are because they are just too big.
With the intention of motivating us, Society constantly places burdens upon us too impractical to achieve such as the "New Years Resolution", the ideal weight chart at the doctors office, the worship of beauty, and last but not least the expectation that we should be working out for the perfect body instead of "a body perfect for me", which you mentioned in another article you wrote pertaining to health. A revelation you gave me that has actually set me free from my "internal Himalayan mountain range". I chose very profound language to describe the importance of what those sentences mean and reveal because they hold the power to flatten those inner Himalayans. It can be life changing realizing for the first time that you have what it takes to achieve those goals, your mountains were just too high. Thank you once again for help in my life! You are a real life blessing and I am so grateful for you. Laney
We are starting 2026.
Most people are setting "Resolutions."
Resolutions fail because they are based on how you feel.
"I want to feel fit."
But in three weeks, you will feel tired. And the resolution will die.
You need an Oath.
"I am an athlete. I train regardless of how I feel."
In today's post, I break down the Stoic approach to habit formation.
And if you want to know what to train?
Check the comments for the "Anti-Frailty Protocol."