The Wish is Not the Way: Why 1099 Resolutions Crumble

We often start January with a number written on a sticky note. A revenue target or a specific amount of “more money.” However, as any veteran of the 1099 life knows, “make more money” isn’t a goal. It’s a wish.

For the independent professional, the start of the year is a high-excitement, high-anxiety time. You’re the CEO, the marketing department, and the janitor. Without a boss to set the pace and hold you accountable it’s easy to fall into the trap of setting vague intentions that won’t survive until the first week of February let alone the entire year. 

You might have the sailboat and a clear idea of a distant paradise, but without specific coordinates, you are simply drifting!

The Cost of Living on Autopilot

Most resolutions fail because they are made in a state of mental unconsciousness. This is a state where you go through life on autopilot, reacting to external stimuli rather than proactively working toward a vision.

In the 1099 world, this shows up as a constant reaction to the “urgent” rather than the “important”. You react to the buzzing phone, the flooded inbox, and the 24/7 news cycle. This constant noise  leads to overwhelm, which actually decreases your ability to remember tasks and increases your stress load. You may be busy, but you are not productive. You are running on a treadmill, never quite catching up to those big January dreams.

This cycle is unsustainable and trashes your Resilience, the second pillar of Mentally Awake. Resilience is not just about bouncing back; it’s about having the mental and emotional strength to navigate challenges effectively. Without it, a single missed lead or a slow week can cause your entire resolution to crumble under the weight of anxiety.

From Vague Dreams to a Tangible Itinerary

To break this cycle, you must move from the “Pregame” of long-term planning into the “Game Day” of daily action. Mentally Awake provides a roadmap for this transition through Process 2: Goals.

In Mentally Awake, goals are the bridge from your dream to your reality. They transform a postcard in your mind into a tangible destination. For a 1099 professional, a resolution must have three specific characteristics or it won’t work:

• Connection to Your “Why”: your goal can’t be arbitrary. If you can’t explain the reason behind a goal to someone then you don’t know why you are doing it and you’ll stop when the going gets rough. If you want to “make more money,” you must define why. Is it for a family adventure, to build a legacy, to get out of the ‘earn it and its gone’ cycle? Whatever your reason – you need to know it.
  
• Action-Inspiring Clarity: A goal like “be better at sales” is too fuzzy. A Mentally Awake goal is specific, such as “Improve my responses to objections so that I get past 75% of them”. It must naturally lead you to think about what you need to do next.
  
• Measurable Milestones: You need markers to see how far you’ve come. These milestones show you that you are on the right path and provide a burst of positive energy when achieved.
  

Implementing the Operating System of Action

The reason resolutions fail is rarely a lack of desire. If you are clear on your why, the failure point is usually a lack of Organization, the fourth pillar of Mentally Awake. Without organization, your carefully crafted direction becomes lost in the daily chaos of a cluttered schedule.

To sustain your resolution, you must implement the Focus and Action processes. Focus is the steering wheel that keeps your vehicle on the road amidst the fog of distractions. It requires Selection, which is choosing exactly what deserves your attention right now based on your goals.

One of the most effective tools for the 1099 professional is the Two-Minute Rule. If a task will take less than two minutes, do it immediately. This clears out the small, nagging items that create mental clutter and builds momentum for your bigger “Deep Work” sessions.

Time Blocking is another powerful tool. Instead of a reactive to-do list, give your tasks a home in your calendar. Block out time for deep work and time to group together similar smaller tasks (like phone calls or responding to emails). Treat these appointments with yourself as important and try not to move them. This ensures that your most critical work gets your freshest energy, rather than being pushed aside by the “urgency trap” of other people’s emergencies. 

As part of this, know your own body and patterns. Plan deep work when you have the most attention. For me, that means doing my creative work early in the morning and doing mundane things later in the day. It also means I can’t do an end of day routine at 5pm because my brain won’t comprehend and process the information. I need to come back to that later in the evening when I get a second surge of energy.

Closing the Loop Through Achievement

Finally, the 1099 journey often feels like a perpetual treadmill because we jump to “what is next” without acknowledging what we have done. Process 5: Achievement is the final step that makes the journey sustainable.

It’s important to consciously recognize and learn from what you have accomplished. This reinforces positive behaviors and builds the resilience and muscle memory needed to handle future challenges. 

At the end of each day, create a “Ta-Da!” list by writing down three things you accomplished, no matter how small. This shifts your focus from what is still undone to the progress you are actively making.

Living Mentally Awake is not about reaching a final destination of perfection. It is an ongoing practice of building your pillars and refining your processes. By shifting from “doing” Mentally Awake things to “being” a Mentally Awake person, you move from being a passenger in your life to being the driver.