Around this time two years ago, my passionate younger self jotted down a long, exhaustive list of New Year’s Resolutions. Thrilled and overcharged by the rush of confidence that any goals are achievable, I listed some incredibly optimistic goals. According to my plan, each day, I was allowed strictly thirty minutes of free time in between two six-hour working sessions. On top of that, I was supposed to read at least three books weekly, completely get rid of sugar from my diet, and wake up at five a.m. every morning. All of these goals were supposed to contribute to a brand-new, diligent, healthy lifestyle. Despite the excitement of a new year and the pride that coursed through my veins from staring at the packed list of resolutions, once the first day of the year arrived, I felt helpless. My supposedly impeccable plan lasted merely three days before I settled back into old habits while nibbling my lips in guilt. That shameful experience of huge ambitions with little sense of reality left me with a lesson — New Year’s resolutions are not about a sudden change but rather gradually building sustainable habits that can last for a lifetime.
Let’s face it: a good night’s sleep from the night of December 31st to the morning of January 1st cannot drastically transform people. Though 2025 has risen, chances are we are still our good, old 2024 selves. This means that before we can set any goals for the new year, we must understand what we are realistically capable of. If you are an absolute chocolate-lover who lives off of brownies, eliminating sugar from your diet might be unattainable. If you scrolled through Instagram reels for the entirety of 2024, deleting Instagram from your phone would not do much, but its absence may prompt you to reinstall the app just a few hours later. Taking a moment to be brutally honest with ourselves and what we can realistically achieve can aid in setting sustainable goals. Based on your previous experience with yourself and others’ suggestions, set goals that seem achievable, or a little challenging. It is better to stick with a “less impressive” goal for a year than to set an extremely high bar and never end up clearing it. For instance, aim to read a book every week if you can spare thirty minutes of free time each day. Cut your sugar intake by passing on dessert for lunch, if you know you will need some as a snack later at night. Learning yourself is the first and most important step to setting goals that suit you well.
Once you understand what you are capable of, set your intentions rather than your end goals that are end-all, be-all. In most cases, you would want something from achieving a goal, such as getting healthier by working out every day, taking care of your mental health by journaling your emotions, and improving your grades by getting an academic planner. Even though you may implicitly understand your intentions, writing them down or reading them out loud can provide you with a clearer vision of what you desire to achieve. While setting the goals may directly lead to you getting overwhelmed with a hefty to-do list, learning your intentions first can help in creating a goal that can help you fulfill that intent. Let’s say you intend to take care of your mental well-being. If you skip writing down the intentions, you may end up with a generic goal such as “being mindful” or “taking care of yourself.” If you truly understand your purpose, you will establish steps that will help you achieve the goal such as “taking a walk every morning” or “talking to friends often.” For me, after learning that my mental well-being and physical health are equally important, I aimed to wake up at 6:30 a.m., read a book every week by reducing screentime, and eat more vegetables. Understanding my capabilities and intentions enabled me to create practical and attainable goals.
What kind of person do you want to be for 2025? For me, I want to make 2025 a year of digging deep into my passion for writing. I aim to expand my weekly short story newsletter and finish my short story anthology. Though the idea of starting a new journey might be tough, setting mindful resolutions can serve as building blocks to your track.
