8 Pounds in 8 Days and What It Taught Me About the Why and the How

On January 1st, I set a simple goal.

Get back to 165.

I was at 173. Today, I hit it.

The number matters, but not for the usual reasons. It’s not about vanity or the jeans that stopped fitting. For me, 2026 is about getting healthier as I get older. Not just for me, but for my kids. I want more energy, more presence, and more time with the people who matter most.

That was my reason. My why.

But something I talk about often in keynotes and workshops is this:A why alone usually isn’t enough.

Most of us don’t struggle because we don’t know what to do. We struggle because we haven’t committed deeply enough to the reason behind it, or we haven’t built a clear how to support the change.

For me, the how came from looking backward, not forward. I asked myself a simple question.

At what point in my life was I closest to this goal, and what helped me get there?

The answer was familiar.

A calorie tracking app.

A Bluetooth scale.

Simple accountability.

Nothing complicated.

Nothing extreme.

Without some form of accountability, the part of the brain that seeks comfort and old habits eventually wins. That’s not a character flaw, it’s human nature.

There’s also something in psychology called extinction bursts. It’s the moment when your brain pushes hardest for the behaviors you’re trying to change. The cravings. The rationalizations. The urge to fall back into what’s familiar. That tension doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means change is happening.

And here’s the important reminder. Reaching a goal doesn’t mean you’ll automatically keep it. Change isn’t a short drive, it’s a long journey that requires recommitting along the way.

Still, whatever you’re working on, whatever you want to change, it’s waiting for you.

It can be done.

It just takes a why and a how.