Resolutions are optional.
It’s that time of year again! New Year’s Resolutions are a ritual for many cultures and center around the idea of resetting and reorganizing for the new year coming. It may be a personal bias or the effect my Instagram algorithm has on me, but it seems that year by year, resolutions get more and more performative—like a reality TV audition for "Person Who Has Their Life Most Together."
And here’s the thing: resolutions are entirely optional. Despite what the self-help influencers or fitness ads might have you believe, there’s no universal rule that says you must reinvent yourself on January 1st. Change doesn’t have to follow the Gregorian calendar, and it certainly doesn’t need to be announced to the world.
More importantly, a resolution that isn’t aligned with your actual needs or values is worse than no resolution at all.
It’s easy to get caught up in the hype and set goals that sound good on paper but don’t resonate with what you truly need. Ever committed to a resolution like “Go to the gym five days a week” only to burn out by February? That’s a prime example of performative goal-setting—a resolution made for the sake of having one, rather than as a deliberate step toward something meaningful.
Shoutout to February for being the graveyard of overambitious resolutions.
Let’s take a moment to reframe this. What if, instead of setting resolutions, we focused on intentions?
An intention doesn’t come with the same pressure of measurable success or failure. Instead, it allows you to approach the new year with curiosity and self-compassion. You can set an intention to prioritize your well-being, to move more joyfully, or to be more present in your relationships.
Although metrics can be helpful in pursuit of a goal, this is about aligning your actions with your values—and maybe saving you from becoming that person who carries a kale smoothie everywhere.
If you do choose to set resolutions, I encourage you to dig deeper than starting 75 hard. Ask yourself: Why this goal? Why now? Does it address a root cause, or is it just a band-aid?
For example, instead of resolving to lose a certain amount of weight, you might explore how you can improve your relationship with food and movement.
Instead of committing to a daily journaling habit because it’s trending, consider whether writing is genuinely the right outlet for you.
Arguably more important, ask yourself how sustainable the intention you set is. Change isn’t about how big a splash you make in January; it’s about what sticks with you in July.
Small, incremental adjustments are almost always more effective than sweeping overhauls. You don’t need to fix everything at once. In fact, trying to do so is a surefire way to end up right back where you started—or staring blankly at some dumbbells and a yoga mat you haven’t touched since January 15th.
My 2025 New Year’s Intention is to keep joy at the center of all my movement.
And finally, let’s not forget the importance of grace. Life is messy, unpredictable, and doesn’t always cooperate with our plans. Missing a week at the gym or eating out more than you’d planned doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It’s just life.
Resilience isn’t about avoiding setbacks; it’s about how you respond to them. Strength, whether physical or emotional, comes from learning to adapt, not from rigid adherence to a plan. (Also, who decided that "perfection" was a thing we were all supposed to aim for anyway? They owe us an apology.)
So, as you step into the new year, remember: resolutions are optional. What’s mandatory is that you stay true to yourself. Whether you’re setting ambitious goals, gentle intentions, or simply resolving to take things one day at a time, the only person who gets to decide what your new year looks like is you. And that’s more than enough—no matter what your Instagram feed says.
