Resolution time is upon us. After the excesses of the holiday season, it feels natural to take stock and look ahead to the new year. While we’re eager to set goals for things we wish to achieve, it makes me wonder why that enthusiasm wanes so quickly. I’ve read that roughly 80% of New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by the middle of February. That makes the life expectancy of a New Year’s Eve resolution about the same as a British SOE operative behind enemy lines during WWII. You’d think that our expectations for ourselves would stand a better chance. It leads me to think that we see some of those expectations as the enemy.

With D-Day looming, how do we approach the fresh opportunity of a new year in a manner that doesn’t involve self-antagonism? The answer is simple. Don’t make resolutions. I’m serious. Life is stressful enough without lining our perceived shortcomings up against the wall to account for themselves.

That’s not to say that pursuing something new, bold, and/or wildly desired is a bad idea. I am saying that a victory-at-all-costs mentality is difficult to sustain. Our psyches yearn to look to a future without the baggage of the past. Just look at Winston Churchill who, with the war in Europe barely over, suddenly found himself unemployed.

I endorse making plans, not resolutions. Plans are forgiving, they accommodate. Resolutions feel absolute, they’re either achieved or not. So sure, sign up for that gym membership. Buy those nicotine patches. Just remember the plan is a process. If the undertaking ends up being partial or takes longer than expected, meting out self-judgement is counterproductive. Progress can be its own reward.

You may now be curious to know what my plan is for the year ahead. I plan to acknowledge my challenges, salute my triumphs, and continue to listen to my muse as I live a lower stakes life in 2025.

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