Resolutions That Last

The road to February is paved with abandoned New Year's resolutions. A helpful reframing is to set intentions, not resolutions. Resolutions feel absolute. If you don’t achieve the goal in one day the resolution feels dead, and you’re left with a sense of failure. But placing a mindset of intention on your goal allows you to stay on track if you missed your walk, drank soda instead of water or didn’t get your daily chapter read. 

Improving Health

Often, when people start their fitness goals, they either start too strong or they don’t create an attainable plan. One way to combat this is by making small but easily accomplished goals, then adding a new level each week. As an example, challenge yourself to take a ten minute walk each day during your lunch break. Or instead of reaching for a cup of coffee as an afternoon pick-me-up, choose tea or water instead. Change doesn’t happen all at once but in small, yet conceivable, improvements to your daily life. 

Becoming Well Read

If you’re looking to become more well read in 2025, a simple way to start is to first pick out the book you want to read. This means finding a book that you know you’ll be immersed in. You won’t get far if you’re reading just for the act of it. But if you want to read because you love it, find a book on a topic you know you will enjoy. This can be historical fiction, dragon fantasy, non-fiction about civil war history — whatever topic you know will make your brain want to know more! Once you’ve identified your book topic of choice, make easy daily goals you know you can and will want to accomplish. Whether it’s one page or one chapter per day, creating bite-sized measures for your goals is a great way to get that sense of accomplishment in achieving something new.

Learning a New Skill

If you don’t find joy in what you’re doing, then success is less likely. If you don’t first have an interest or a passion for the new skill on your list of resolutions, then it’s easier to quit. So if you don’t find yourself to be musically inclined it’s not likely your sudden impulse to learn to play guitar will go very far. Or if you want to learn how to knit or crochet but find you’re the type of person who gets bored sitting in one position for long periods of time, then this skill may not be the best one to pursue. Give yourself permission to accept something may not be for you if you find you’re not excited about it. The point of resolutions is to open yourself up to the possibility that you can try something new or learn a new skill, and if you get to a point where you say, “This isn’t for me,” that’s OK! 

Many have tricky relationships with New Year's resolutions. Instead of self-criticism, focus on creating realistic goals that inspire or bring you joy. Then your intentions become a resolution with a smaller effort.