It’s January, and the promise of new beginnings is finally upon us. Far from a contemporary fad, New Year’s resolutions have been practiced for over 4,000 years, tracing back to ancient Babylon. But as the tradition has aged, so has our faith in it.
According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, 70 per cent of adults don’t set New Year’s resolutions. The common refrain? “Most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned by February anyway.” But does that mean we should accept this as an unshakable truth? Perhaps not.
As Einstein famously said, repeating the same action while expecting different results is the definition of insanity. Why not apply that wisdom to our hopes and ambitions? If sticking to resolutions feels like a losing battle, perhaps it’s time to pause and ask yourself why.
What went wrong last year? Why couldn’t you stick to that fitness regime or that budget? I, too, fell down the trap of writing lofty resolutions year after year, only to watch them crash and burn — I hate to say it — by February.
For me, introspection came after the fifth year of wishing for a newfound love of reading every Jan. 1. When no magical transformation occurred, and after many expensive trips to the bookstore, I stopped putting blind faith in a New Year’s miracle. Instead, I chose to be honest with myself.
I realized the problem wasn’t a lack of love for books but a lack of a plan. Reading wasn’t integrated into my routine; I hadn’t set aside dedicated time, and I wasn’t carrying a book for those spare moments or picking literature I was genuinely excited about.
I then discovered the ever-popular SMART goals: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Although googling what SMART stands for whenever we come up with and write our resolutions might feel redundant, the core principles are valuable.
To keep things simple, let’s remember two of them: measurable and achievable, the most valuable part of the framework. Measurable goals allow you to track your progress and stay motivated, while the attainable aspect grounds you to reality, making sure you are not setting yourself up for failure before you begin.
With that in mind, turning resolutions into actionable, manageable steps becomes much more straightforward. Planning, not wishful thinking, is the secret ingredient to successful resolutions. And don’t worry, buzzwords like “discipline” will come later, I promise.
Want to read more in 2025? Great! What’s stopping you? Lack of time? Try reading at least one chapter during your commute. Lack of energy? Schedule weekend reading sessions. Lack of funds? Explore online resources offering free books. (Please beware of piracy websites such as Project Gutenberg and Anna’s Archive that promise (and deliver) free access to expensive books.)
Who knows, with the right plan in place, this could finally be the year you unlock your full potential — without relying on New Year’s deceitful magic. Let’s all aim to change things up this year and “outSMART” our excuses.
Einstein would approve.
