New Year Resolutions

I’m not a new year’s resolution person.

At Amazon, I learned about controllable inputs. Now I use them everywhere.

Controllable inputs mean you’re in the driver’s seat. They’re the factors you can directly influence that are likely to produce the outcomes you want.

Let me share two examples from my own life to explain what I mean.

1. I don’t focus on becoming healthier. Instead, focus on working out regularly and eating healthy food.

2. I don’t focus on becoming rich. Focus on living below my means, saving, and investing.

You get the idea.

Working out, eating healthy, saving, and investing; these are my controllable inputs. They’re the things I have full control over.

As James Clear says, you don’t rise to the level of your goals; you fall to the level of your systems. I couldn’t agree more.

So, connecting the dots: create systems that maximize the output of your controllable inputs.

I used to be terrible at working out regularly, so this year, my wife and I created a system to change that:

- We hired a personal trainer to keep us accountable and ensure we follow a plan.

- We got a gym membership, paying for it monthly gives us an extra push to show up.

- We do this together. It’s more fun and keeps us consistent.

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m doing way better than last year. Not because of willpower or good intentions, but because of the system we built.

Saving and investing automatically before spending is another system with clear controllable inputs I put in place a few years ago. It helps us live below our means and spend guilt-free. I have no idea what the market or economy will do tomorrow, but saving and investing regularly is a proven recipe for long-term financial success. That’s it.

Amigo, it’s not about the goal you write down on a piece of paper. It’s about the systems you build to get there.