As 2025 begins, the new year brings fresh hope, excitement, and a huge list of resolutions. We're all enthusiastic about making 2025 a better year for ourselves. But are New Year's resolutions actually useful? Do they set us up for success or disappointment?

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Why We Set Resolutions

Honestly, I've thought about this. Why is it that we set resolutions for a new year? Why not for half a year? Or for the summer?

The answer I came to is this: we love new beginnings. Nothing is better than the prospect of 12 brand-new months ahead of us. An entire calendar year is a clean slate that makes us feel like turning things around for ourselves. The trouble is, this is where problems can arise.

Tracing the Pattern

Let me give you a timeline of what happens when we set resolutions for the year.

On December 31st, our enthusiasm overflows. Lists are made, vision boards are created, and goals are written down. January 1st or 2nd, we start.

The resolution could be going to the gym for two hours daily, reading ten books per month, or another ambitious goal of your choice. Then, as January passes, we lose motivation by the end of the month. Now, we go to the gym once a week or read just a few pages a day. By, February we slowly shut off, and when March begins, we're done.

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The Spiral that Follows

Hey, we're only human. It's not possible to always achieve exactly what you want, especially when the goals we set are ambitious. But when our inner critic takes over, it can be hard to see reason. You end up blaming yourself with thoughts like, “I cannot commit to anything; what is wrong with me?!” or “I'm so unmotivated all the time, I genuinely think I have a problem.” A lot of the money people spend on new gym memberships or other new year investments go to waste.

If this doesn't strike a chord with you, that's great! This means you're either adept at sticking to your goals or are not one to criticize yourself to the point of your self-esteem bottoming out.

However, if you do recognize this feeling all too well, you're not alone. This is something many people go through, and it's completely normal.

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The Cause of Demotivation

Why do these spirals begin in the first place? I'm sure we all have some previous commitments or goals we let go of. Personally, I have an unfinished psychology course that I have been “completing” for the past year or two, and it's a 3-month course.

But these small things don't bother us nearly as much as not sticking to our resolutions. Why? What is it about the new year that carries so much weight?

The answer I came up with is the added pressure. We feel the need to make 2025 THE BEST YEAR EVER. We want to become the best versions of ourselves, make the best decisions, achieve the best goals, and generally be the best.

This is nearly impossible. We set super ambitious goals that, deep down, we know we cannot commit to. Yet, we hate ourselves for not being able to achieve them.

We forget that the world does not work the way we want it to and that we are not perfect. The year will not always be the most wonderful, and we will not be the most consistent. After all, a person cannot transform completely between December 31st and January 1st.

What Can I Do to Fix This?

Fortunately, there's a simple thing you can do to turn your mindset around. Understand that January 1st is just another day. December 31st is just like January 1st. This is also true for the 2nd, 3rd, and every day after that.

Try to travel along this line of thought with me. You are the same person you were at 11:59 pm on New Year's Eve that you are at 12:01 am on New Year. If it wasn't the occasion that it is, you would not be bothered about making it the best. You would carry on with your life as you always have.

So here's my advice: take it one day at a time. Don't try to make 2025 the most fabulous year of your life. There will be better years and worse ones.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't aim high. It just means that you should aim a little differently. You aren't trying to make 2025 better; you want every day to be better. That's what you should be focusing on.

Setting Goals with A New Outlook

If you are still a little lost, I get that. Let me give you a personal example to help you understand this idea better.

Yoga is my preferred form of exercise. I'm trying to do yoga as regularly as possible. This is the key - I don't have rules set in stone, but allow myself to be flexible (pun intended).

What I think when I wake up is I need to do yoga today. I'm not worried about tomorrow or the week after. I can deal with that when it comes.

If you just focus on doing your best today, when you look back, you will have come a lot farther than you expected. You think, I tried my best every day. That can mean different things for different days.

If you're exhausted during finals week, the best you can do is rest. If you've been couch rotting for the past 3 days, a quick walk is the best you can do. What matters is you tried hard in the circumstances you had.

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Long Story Short

So, if you retain nothing else, remember this. The only pressure to make 2025 the best comes from within. It doesn't matter whether the year is the most fantastic ever. What matters is your experiences, lessons, and memorable moments.

Whatever you want to achieve, take it one day at a time. When you work every single day towards your goal, you will get where you want to be. Maybe it will all come together in 2026 or 2027 and not 2025.

But even if 2025 isn't the best year of your life, that doesn't matter. You'll look back and be proud of yourself for doing your best. In the end, this is what matters.