The Three-Word Difference Between a Resolution and a Revolution

You’ve done this before. Write down what you’re going to change this year, mean it completely in the moment, and watch it quietly evaporate by March. Jonathan Cronstedt opened the Lake Las Vegas stage by putting that exact pattern in front of the room before he taught a single tactic: how many of you set a New Year’s resolution, and how many of you have already broken it. The same hands went up both times, his included. What he taught next explains why, and it has nothing to do with willpower.

What actually separates a resolution from a revolution?

His answer starts with realization, the moment you notice something has to change. Sometimes that shows up as a lightning bolt. More often it builds slowly, a pattern you keep half-noticing until you can’t unsee it anymore. Either way, nothing moves until you see the problem clearly. Then comes resolution, the actual commitment to change once you’ve seen it. That’s where most people stop. A resolution to skip cheeseburgers, his example from the stage, is a private deal you make with yourself, and he’s blunt about how much power that carries: none. Nobody’s watching. Nobody’s counting on you. Swap the lettuce wrap back out in week three and the only person who knows is you.

Earlier in the same session he’d already handed the room a phrase for note-taking: uncashed checks. Notes you write down that only pay off once you actually act on them. The same logic runs straight through resolution. A resolution is a check you write yourself. It doesn’t cash without the third step.

1. Realization: you finally see the pattern, whether it hits all at once or builds over months.
2. Resolution: you commit to change it, privately, which is exactly why it has no teeth yet.
3. Risk: you put something on the line in front of other people, which is what actually cashes the check.

Why does a private commitment always cave, and a public one doesn’t?

He asked the room to name the missing third ingredient, and someone near the front, introduced afterward as Dr. Steve, called it out before he’d even finished the question: risk. A resolution stays private, and privacy is exactly why it has no teeth. A revolution requires you to enroll other people in what you’re doing, out loud, with something on the line if you don’t follow through. Tell your team, your spouse, or a room full of strangers what you’re building, and backing out now costs you something. That cost is the whole mechanism. It’s why the same resolution can quietly fail every single year, while a goal you’ve said out loud in front of people counting on you tends to actually happen.

What does that risk look like once you’re the one sitting in the room?

Cronstedt pointed at the room itself as proof it was already working. Some people there had driven less than thirty minutes and still complained about traffic. Others had flown thirty-six hours to be in that ballroom. Both groups paid something to show up, just wildly different amounts, and the size of what they paid is what makes a commitment real instead of imaginary.

He didn’t leave it as theory. He put the whole room on its feet, counted down from three, and had everyone shout “now,” not as a word but as a decision: if something in your business needs to happen, it happens now, not once the kids are older or the market cools off or you finally feel ready. That’s risk in miniature, a small public commitment made out loud in front of a room of witnesses, practiced before the real one.

Until that revolution takes place, until that risk is brought into the equation, the change that you seek won’t happen.

He backed that up with three examples nobody in the room would argue with: the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and what he called the Information Revolution, the one letting an entire industry deliver a message of entrepreneurship from someone’s armchair to the other side of the planet. None of those left the world the way they found it. As he put it plainly from the stage, once a revolution happens, “it is impossible to be the same afterwards.”

That’s the part worth carrying out of this session more than any single line about business strategy. Most people spend years cycling through resolutions, quietly disappointed each January that this year’s version didn’t stick either. The missing piece was never a better resolution. It was the willingness to make the commitment public and let it cost something if you don’t follow through. Realization tells you what’s wrong. Resolution tells you what you intend to do about it. Risk is the only one of the three that actually forces the change to happen, because it’s the only one where someone besides you is watching to see if you meant it.

The full session goes further than what’s above, including the three agreements Cronstedt opens every event with and the full “now” call-out that gets the room on its feet. Watch it in full, free, when you Create your free account.

The full session transcript follows below.

Transcript

All right, buddy, do it! Say hi to everybody. Hi, good to see you. Glad you guys are here.

All right! Woo! Look at all these wonderful, lovely people. What's going on, everyone?

How you guys doing? Yeah! All right, good to see you. Woo!

I'll be back. I'll be back. All right. Hey, guys, play that song that I told you in the beginning I liked.

Let's get some energy up. Come on. You guys are about to hear a song that I was jamming to a little bit ago, and I just really love this song. Once they put it on, you'll know why.

So you guys excited to be in Lake Las Vegas? All right. That's more like it. This is a little bit more like the video we just watched.

A little bit more raw. You know what? I am so happy to be here in front of you guys today. This weekend is going to be unlike anything you've ever seen, so without further ado, turn down my music because I got to teach these people a couple of things.

How many of you are ready for a revolution? I'm so glad you felt that way. And how many of you loved our little interlude in the Dave Wood parable of the bear in the cage? Yes.

As you know, Mr. Wood has a certain way with words, and on occasion, we do like to allow him to flex that creative ability. It's certainly something that we literally looked at that video, and we could not find a more impactful way to drive home. There isn't any cage.

So we're going to be talking a little bit more about that this weekend. Guys, go ahead and take your seats, and I want to go over our three agreements. How many of you know what those three agreements are? Not nearly enough of you, which is why I'm going to go over them again today.

Hey, Chuck, what's going on? How's your back? Awesome. Ladies and gentlemen, Chuck Marshall, the gentleman that we were unable to celebrate his million dollar ring in person, but as he's here in person, we will be doing that later this weekend.

So, agreement number one, I will be fully engaged. So on three, you're going to say I will be fully engaged. One, two, three. The great news about that is, you now know what fully engaged looks like.

You said, I will be fully engaged, so you are already there. Tom, you are wearing a fur coat in a very warm room. You are furry engaged. Thank you.

I know, I know, I know. Vegas, try the veal, be sure to tip your waitress. So, agreement number two, I will take great notes. On three, I will take great notes.

One, two, three. Excellent. And for those of you that have been with us for a moment here, we also like to call those uncashed checks. It was my brilliant idea that Mike Hobbs once tried to take credit for, and I really appreciate that.

Because I couldn't think of a better way to describe what you have in your hands when you're taking notes, because you're going to be spending time with us this weekend, literally hearing our leaders go over what is working right now. Not what was working six months ago, not what was working two years ago. They're going to be laying bare the strategies and tactics that are allowing them to build their business and their lifestyle today. How many of you are excited about that?

Me too. Finally, our third, third agreement, which for our group, this is always the easiest one. This one literally is falling off a log simple, and that is have fun. Now, as you guys can already tell from how we've introduced this weekend, we are going to have fun.

Having a great sense of humor, engaging, taking notes, but ensuring that you're having fun. Because as Dave talked about in this parable of the bear, having your eyes glaze over after too many hours in a cubicle is not fun. We will make sure you have fun. We will make sure you have as much fun as you are prepared to have, and if you're not having fun, odds are I will come over and sit on your lap until it's either awkward or funny.

So, just letting you know how we roll. How many of you are excited about that? Thank you. There's no doubt about it, you know, few people understand some of the perks that come with my job, and one of them is, at every event, whether I have or haven't, everyone asks me if I've lost weight.

Like, it's just the nicest, most friendly thing ever. It just makes me feel warm and fuzzy, and you know, people applaud and stuff. It's great! So, finally, I want to talk to you about what revolution means.

How many of you were at our welcome reception last night with a couple of cocktails where I shared with you that we would be going over the three immutable elements for any revolution to take place? Now, I made a pretty bold claim at our little social last night. I basically said that this formula that we are going to be talking about throughout this weekend is something that is so foundational and so profound that if you grasp it, you can look through any prolific change, whether it be societal, financial, community, family, local, any significant change that you look at will be based on this formula.

How many of you would like to know something that simple? And it's only three things. Just three. So, without further ado, let me share with you the formula for creating a revolution.

The first step in any revolution is going to be the moment of realization. Realization can happen in a moment of profound insight. That lightning bolt feeling that really is unmistakable. Realization can also take place over time.

And happen progressively. That you just begin seeing a pattern and you see it repeat itself and you become more aware of it and more aware of it and more aware of it. Either way, whether by profound occurrence or by repeated habit, realization is key because without it, we have no idea anything's wrong. Whether you look at the civil rights victories or you look at the countries that freed themselves from oppression, or you look at the single mother that left the job and decided to create something different, that moment always starts with a realization that I need something different.

How many of you are with me? Okay. Step one, realization. Step two, resolution.

Now, resolution sounds a lot like revolution. But it's very, very different. How many of you set New Year's resolutions this year? I did too.

How many of you have already broken them? Me too. So, I don't know what it is a lettuce-wrapped cheeseburger is just not a cheeseburger. It's not a cheeseburger, it's meat and cheese and vegetables, but it is not a cheeseburger.

So, a resolution is a commitment to change. A resolution comes after the realization. I realized something needed to change and I made a commitment to change. Now, some of you might be asking, why is there a difference between a resolution and a revolution?

What changes? What's different? Why is a resolution something that is a commitment to change but there's still a third element for a revolution to take place? Anybody guess what it is?

Okay. Results? Let's see if anyone guesses it. Risk.

Thank you. I appreciate you taking the most climactic moment of my time up here on stage and just, boom, that just happened. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when you have someone as smart as Dr. Steve sitting in the front row.

The third element of a revolution is very simply this. Risk. My resolution of not eating cheeseburgers didn't really affect anybody else. I didn't have to enroll or engage anyone around me for that resolution.

I also probably could have turned that resolution into a revolution had I taken that risk. Had I taken the risk of enrolling others in that vision. Had I taken that risk of forming a team of individuals around me. I'm sure it probably would have been much more effective for my resolution to be a revolution if I was surrounded by like-minded individuals.

If I made sure that I got on TV's Biggest Loser and I had a team of people around me watching my every move, I probably would have had a different revolution in that category. So let's go over those three elements again. Realization, resolution, and risk. Now risk is an important one because this is the one that the fewest people are actually willing to go through.

I had a water polo coach in high school that whenever we would talk about what wins games he would describe it as intestinal fortitude. Literally guts. Risk is hard because a resolution is private or semi-private. But that's where its lack of power stems from.

There's nobody behind it. And it's interesting because when you look around you in this room you are surrounded by people that at varying levels have taken a risk. They flew here from all over the world. You're going to be hearing from some of our leaders that are here from Portugal.

You are going to be hearing from some of our leaders that are from other areas of Europe, like Germany. You're going to be meeting people from a global audience that have all traveled to be here. I know people that are within 30 minutes of driving here and yet somehow traffic was bad. I've also met people that have flown 36 hours to be here.

That's risk. You guys are just Jimmy on the spot with that stuff. It's amazing. You're all also in the room here sharing an experience.

The combined power of the energy and minds in this room is far greater than the sum of its parts. But being in this room is a risk. You've stepped up. You've put yourself out there.

You've publicly declared what you want more of in your life. And you've taken specific concrete tactical steps to get it. So first of all, I'm humbled to be here in front of you and I appreciate the risk that all of you have taken to be here with us this weekend. So let's talk about taking that risk to the next level.

How many of you are just now beginning to amass the team around you? How many of you are beginning to find your first core few that have raised their hand and want to go on this journey with you? Excellent. That is the type of risk that leads to profound change in your business.

You're going to be hearing from leaders here this weekend that have had varied levels of success in this business. You're going to be hearing from million-dollar ring-earners that have teams of teams of teams. You're going to be hearing from new up-and-comers that are just beginning the journey, maybe two steps ahead of where you are right now. We do that on purpose because we want to make sure that wherever you are in your business, you are met where you're at so we can take you by the hand to get you to where you want to go.

That is what this weekend is about. Now what is the power of a revolution? And what is the power of what it can do in your life? And in the life of those around you?

So someone pick a revolution that you think was extremely impactful. Just shout one out. French Revolution. Okay.

So there's a revolution that literally has completely changed the very foundation of our society. The way that education, language, culture, humanity, every aspect of it has changed. Give me another one. Industrial Revolution.

The Industrial Revolution changed the way the world communicates and the way the world travels. The Industrial Revolution changed literally the way that we change things. That foundationally it changed how change happens. Then of course you have the Information Revolution which we're all here on the front edge of.

Everybody knows how impactful that has been that we've watched our industry adapt to being able to deliver a message of entrepreneurship and empowerment all over the globe literally from your armchair. No longer are you only relegated to your neighborhood or to your community to be able to share a message like this. The Information Revolution was powerful. What I'm trying to drive home here is that when you have a revolution, it is impossible to be the same afterwards.

It's very easy to have a resolution. It's very easy to have the same resolution every year. But nothing changes with just a resolution. Until that revolution takes place, until that risk is brought into the equation, the change that you seek won't happen.

So I don't know what risk is for each of you this weekend. It may be the first time you've ever been in a room like this and just the very thought of talking to someone you've never met before scares the living bejesus out of you. Risk for you may be actually starting to network, putting yourself out there, meeting somebody new, finding an accountability partner or someone that you can work with, mastermind with to push your business to the next level. For others of you, that risk may look very very different.

Many of you have already heard the joke that I made about our lovely Unstoppable family upstaging me on the hotel television. You can love them, you can hate them, but you're never going to miss them. That's for sure. No, it was a joke because I turned on the television late last night when I got in and of course they have the obligatory horribly designed event calendar slide.

It's like yellow with white text. It looks like someone threw up. It's terrible. Of course, that little yellow slide says, you know, Power Network, quarterly event.

I'm like, great. The hotel has terrible slide choices. Then right after that, this beautiful black and white backdrop, pool, fire pit, mountain view, and it says, welcome Unstoppable mastermind. Of course, I had to tell Rhonda.

I was like, I don't know how she did it. The reason that this example is so powerful is this is risk for them on a completely different level. They're here with 100 people. That level of risk is going to create a revolution that once it happens, you never go back.

Once that shift takes place, every element of your life looks different. When you were introduced to the internet, the way you did business never changed. When the industrial revolution brought about the assembly line, business was never done the same way again. That's the power of a revolution and that is what it can create in your business.

If you thoughtfully engage this weekend, take those three core elements, realization, resolution, and risk, and build that into a formula to take you at least to the next step. You may not be ready to go 10 steps or 100 steps, but it will at least ensure that you do not leave your seat this weekend without having taken the next step. How many of you are ready for that? Excellent.

If you don't have your hand up, an awkward lap sitting is in your future. Just letting you know. With that, I want to do what I always do at every event that we have. You guys all know this.

We love to create what is called a call out. Now, a call out is something that we use to continue to keep the energy level high and to give our lovely production staff the ability to continue to create moments because we know how things are moving. How many of you remember some of our call outs before? Shout them out.

What do you remember? Awesome. My time. I do love that one.

Here's what we're going to do today because revolution is a revolution. Four syllable word. It's a big one. Very big one.

Case in point. I just actually had to count it. With a four syllable word, we have to break it down because there's no doubt about it. If you can't yell it out with impact, it's not really a call out.

It's just more a statement of a very long word. What I would like to ask is when is the best time for a revolution? My man. So guys, this call out is something that I want to make sure that every time you say it, it resonates with every fiber of your being that if you're saying now but it's not now, there's a problem you need to fix now.

That every time you say now, if in the back of your mind or the bottom of your heart, you're thinking stuff going on. I'm a little busy. I should do this and should do that. Before you know it, you're shitting all over yourself.

You've got to be at a place that when you say now, this is what happens when we start late. In the morning, you catch people right after coffee and they're like, oh, I should have called. That's great. Today it's like, then it hits.

Then it hits. Thank you very much. So with that said, how many of you understand what now means? How many of you understand what now means for you personally at this very moment?

You don't need to study. You don't need to guess. You don't need to plan. You don't need to think, equivocate, ask your focus group.

You know what it means right now. Okay. We're about to find out. On your feet.

Maestro, if I could get some now music, that would be wonderful. Now all of you know this. You know it well. We've done this before.

Don't worry. It's real quick and real easy. This is how it works. Anytime myself or one of our unbelievable leaders or unbelievable team members comes up here and counts you down from three, you are going to yell out now.

You are not going to yell out now half-heartedly. You are not going to yell out now purely as a word. You are going to yell out now as a declaration that if it needs to be, it's going to be now. If you have any confusion about it, work it out now.

Because the moment that you say this, it is your declaration for what you're going to create this weekend. How many of you are ready? Are you sure? One, two, three.

One, two, three. One, two, three. You're getting it. It's better.

Stay on your feet. Don't even think about sitting down. The physiology and energy we've created here, I'm not going to let you give it up by sitting down that quickly. Mainly because the person that I am about to introduce is someone that I know that if I let you sit down prematurely, you'd be back up on your feet anyway.

So with that, I am going to be bringing to the stage a couple that I have had the pleasure of getting to know over these last 14 months. And I continue to be impressed with their hunger, their drive, and taking both of those qualities and putting them through a filter of absolute abandonment to anything but their vision. That they've never compromised. This couple is so unique and so special in their world view, in how they've gone about building their business, in their commitment and compassion to bringing people along with them, that literally the vision they have for the vehicle we are all enjoying is big enough that they will only achieve it if we all go along for the ride with them.

Some of you may know who I'm talking about. How many of you have heard from the Hippie Jedi before? And how many of you have also heard from his amazing better half? It's so unbelievably cool when you have the opportunity to see a power couple embody conscious entrepreneurship that they acted out every day.

I have literally even watched Justin doing fingertip pushups in the back of the room. He is fully integrated. He's the type of individual that if he's looking you in the eyes and he says now there is an unmistakable fire that you can't miss. How many of you know what I'm saying?

So ladies and gentlemen with that I want you to go absolutely nuts and please help me bring to the stage Justin and Dee Varengia.