Lennon’s Christmas song says “…And what have we done? Another year over, and a new one just begun.” The end of the holidays and the dawning of a new year is the time to reflect on past achievements and challenges while looking forward to new beginnings. At this time many of us think about the changes we want to make in our lives. While, indeed, every new day is an opportunity to start fresh, the promise of a new year can provide unique opportunities to make significant improvements to our overall health, well being and place in the world. Some of us do this in the form of new year’s resolutions.
Unfortunately more often than not, we break these promises to ourselves and fall back into old, familiar and often bad habits. The cause of resolution failure is usually because we haven’t taken the time to create a plan with clear action steps on how to achieve each goal. Following are some tried and true paths to resolution success, and below the 24 most popular resolutions with support tools that have worked for me, my colleagues and clients.
Write Them Down
The prophet Habakkuk said “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay.”
Use a tablet, calendar, journal or book that you will see each day. Most high quality journals and calendars include sections for yearly, monthly and daily goals. Avoid using a digital format since typing does not have the same impact as writing. Studies have shown that handwriting in a deliberate and intentional manner requires focused attention. Your dreams and desires deserve focus. Consider creating a vision board using clippings from magazines and newspapers with images that represent what success looks like for each resolution. Visualizing has a powerful impact on intention and the manifestation of tangible goals.
Make Them Plain
Be specific about each goal. Rather than saying I want to lose weight say, “I want to lose 30 pounds.” A “new job” can be defined; “I want a new job with great benefits doing what I love and making good money.” Instead of saying “I want to be happy” ask yourself what your definition of happiness is. What is missing? What would you have to do to attain that? Be as detailed as you can for each individual resolution.
Take Action
Once you have written down each goal/resolution write down at least one action step you can take immediately for each one. Document the result of each action step in your journal or diary noting observations and challenges and your achievements to date. If you are not journaling yet learn how to start a simple journal. Maintain your motivation by checking your goals each day as you check your daily appointment schedule.
Maintain Focus
You may encounter setbacks along the way. Change and challenges are an inevitable part of life. Stay focused on your ultimate goal and use the hitches as lessons to adjust your action steps and navigate around the bumps in the road.
Get Support
There are a myriad of resources from books, to blogs, counsellors and classes to help you achieve your goals. Over the new few weeks I’ll share some of the tools that we have used over the years. I will also share how I am doing on my own resolutions. Some of which are included in the 24 in 24 plan below.
6 for 26
Here are 6 of the top resolutions for every new year, including 2026. I’ve curated resources to help you accomplish your goals for this new year.
- Eat healthier
- Quit smoking
- Exercise more
- Get better sleep
- Less screen time
- Learn something new
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