It seems every year, people make the resolution to exercise and

“It seems every year, people make the resolution to exercise and lose weight and get in shape.”
So spoke Ed Smith, observing not merely a habit of the modern age, but a timeless struggle of humankind — the eternal dance between intention and action, between the will to change and the comfort of remaining the same. His words are simple, yet beneath their simplicity lies the weight of an ancient truth: that the desire for transformation is common, but the discipline to achieve it is rare. Every year, as one year dies and another is born, countless voices rise with promises to begin anew — to eat better, to move more, to live wiser. Yet when the fire of resolution fades, most return to their old ways, leaving the dream behind like ashes after a brief flame.

To exercise and lose weight is not only a bodily endeavor, but a symbol of renewal, a yearning to reclaim mastery over one’s own being. It is a modern echo of what the ancients called “the strengthening of the spirit through the discipline of the flesh.” For the body is not a separate realm, but the vessel of the soul. When one strives to get “in shape,” one does not only seek muscle or grace, but balance — harmony between desire and will. Ed Smith’s reflection is therefore not about fitness alone, but about the greater human condition: the endless pursuit of self-improvement and the quiet battle between momentary enthusiasm and enduring resolve.

Even in the days of old, the same struggle stirred within men. The philosopher Epictetus warned his students, “Do not explain your philosophy. Embody it.” So too must those who resolve to change not merely speak their intentions but live them, each day, with unwavering persistence. The athlete of the soul, like the athlete of the body, must rise when weary, must continue when others rest. The true test is not the promise of the first morning, but the discipline of the hundredth day. In this way, Smith’s quote is a mirror, reflecting the nature of our fleeting commitments — noble in spirit, but too often weak in practice.

Consider the story of Pheidippides, the ancient Greek messenger who ran from Marathon to Athens to proclaim victory. His run was not driven by vanity, nor by yearly resolution, but by purpose — a purpose that burned brighter than pain or fatigue. He reached his city and delivered his message before collapsing, having given his final breath in service to something greater. Though extreme, his act reminds us that endurance is born from meaning, not from mere desire. Those who resolve to change without purpose soon falter; those who find purpose in their change endure.

Each new year, the same ritual unfolds. The air fills with declarations, gyms overflow, and spirits burn high with expectation. Yet as weeks pass, the will weakens. This is not because people lack the ability, but because they forget the why behind their resolution. They chase results, not transformation; appearance, not strength. They treat the journey as a chore, not a covenant. And so, as Smith wisely observes, the cycle repeats — year after year, promise after promise — until one learns that true change does not come from a date on a calendar, but from a decision in the heart.

“To get in shape” — these words hold more than physical meaning. They speak of shaping the self, of giving form to one’s potential. The sculptor does not strike the stone once and expect beauty; he carves each day, removing what does not belong until the form within emerges. So too must we chisel away at our own weaknesses, our excuses, our forgetfulness. Change is not an event, but a practice — a sacred rhythm that demands patience, perseverance, and humility.

Therefore, let this be the lesson that Ed Smith’s words impart to all generations:

1. Do not wait for the new year to begin anew; each sunrise is a chance to start again.

2. Do not chase perfection, but progress. The mountain is climbed one step at a time.

3. Root your resolutions in purpose, for meaning gives strength when willpower fails.

4. Honor your promises, not with words, but with the quiet constancy of action.

Thus, his quote stands not as a complaint, but as a gentle awakening. It calls to all who make grand resolutions yet forget their power to persist. To exercise, to lose weight, to get in shape — these are outward reflections of an inner truth: that the spirit, too, must be trained, strengthened, and disciplined. And those who learn this art — who treat each day as a chance to forge themselves anew — will find that resolutions need no calendar, for their life itself becomes the living embodiment of renewal.