Another year, another cycle of spinning on a rock in the void of space around a massive ball of fire. Good times, good times. With a New Year comes a plethora of new things. Growth, writing the wrong year date on checks, and of course the dreaded New Years Resolution. It’s the biggest conversation starter for this first week, second only to “It’s been a whole year since I’ve seen you!” (I will not apologize for my part in this). For many it isn’t much of a big deal. Some people skirt around the question entirely, and for few it comes with this sense of great expectation and dread for inevitably not following through on it. Every year its the same, with some large lofty goal to “start the new year off right.” A few of the classics being “I’m gunna lose x number of pounds,” or “I’m gunna hit the gym every single day,” or maybe even “I’m going to write my book this year” (these may be hitting a little close to home for me, but you get the idea).
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be some New Years Scrooge hating on these resolutions. If you wanna better yourself sometimes you need a little push, and if this does it for you than power to you. But what I’ve learned is that setting lavish goals, whether general of unspecific, can often lead to feelings of burnout, overwhelm, or feelings of guilt and failure. These goals to better ourselves are great, but all of us have busy lives that make these resolutions difficult to juggle with our other responsibilities. So, should we just give up and not even try?
No, not at all. I believe we just need to get rid of the timeline.
In contrast to what this post’s tone has been alluding to, I think New Years Resolutions are wonderful. In fact, last year I set myself a reasonable goal to read a book a month, or twelve books in a single year. That’s not too terrible a goal no? Depending on the book size that’s a simple ten to twenty words a day. Additionally it gives me a reason to get off of screens before bed. S.M.A.R.T. goals are a great tool to make these resolutions come true by making tasks specific and easy to keep track of progress and time. But life’s it often does, gets in the way. Work grinds can wipe you out. New shiny toys can distract you too (Switch 2 anyone?). Maybe one book is super exiting and you finish it in a week, some books are a drag that take a bit more willpower to pick up, some books are a massive 1000 pages. In the end, I got through ten and half books, just shy of my twelve book goal.
And you know what? That’s awesome.
I read ten books last year, and that very well might have been ten more than I would have read otherwise. The me of last year might have felt defeated, but I’ve learned to look back on my efforts with pride instead of focusing on the mountain top I didn’t reach. Whatever you reach by the end of the year itself is an accomplishment. Went to the gym once a week instead of once a day? That’s a day more than you did before. Lose 2 pounds instead of twenty, that’s great too. You can get there eventually if you want to. A timeline can be a great motivator to get work done if you need a little pressure, but it’s meant to be a guardrail not a wall to climb. Heck, even with last years Novel November I only made it to a fifth of the total goal. Even that is still over 10,000 words. That’s 10,000 more words than I had this time last year. I’m incredible proud of what I’ve done so far, and I know it’s only the surface of what’s to come.
So what’s the plan for this year? I have four resolutions I’m working towards. I’ll try to keep up with a book a month (if I fall short again, I could always slip in books like Doug, a DougDoug Story to give the number a boost). I’m also going to focus on my health big time this year. I made the choice to pursue a Zepbound prescription to help get my weight in check. I need to loose a hundred pounds and I know its not something I can do on my own as I am now (but more on that in another post). I have enjoyed writing these blog posts so much, even if I have’t been as active as I would have hoped. I feel such fulfillment when I upload them and share them online. I want to fit in one post a month. And lastly, I want to finish the first draft of my first novel by the end of the year. I love writing, and I want to make that my career. I have to put in the work, and that starts now.
What if I fail?… Well, so what? If I read only two books, I’m sure I will enjoy them. If I only lose a few pounds, every bit counts towards a healthier me. If I miss a post or don’t get to the end of the draft? It’s better than where I was not writing at all.
I know this post was a bit longer than the others, so thanks for staying with me till the end. But now that you have finished I just have to ask. What is your New Years Resolution? How will you make a better you for 2026 and beyond? Whatever you decide, take a victory lap for each step you make towards the goal. Remember that even if you don’t cross the finish line you still ran one hell of a race. I’m cheering for you.