New Year's resolutions have a special talent. They convince us time and time again that January 1st is a magic switch that will change our lives overnight. That on January 1st we will get up at six, drink warm lemonade, run five kilometers with a smile, and answer emails without rolling our eyes. And even though we know deep down that life rarely changes with a date, we still fall in love – again and again – with the idea of a new beginning.
New Year's resolutions are like New Year's fireworks: a little noisy, very colorful and often short-lived. But that doesn't mean they're not valuable.
In fact, New Year's resolutions say more about us than we think. They tell us what we long for.. For peace. For courage. For more selfishness in a good way. For the feeling that we are alive life, not just surviving it.
Classic New Year's resolutions We all know the ones: more exercise, less sugar, more money, less stress. And then there are the ones we rarely say out loud: to dare to say “no” without feeling guilty.
To stop comparing ourselves to others, especially on Instagram at 3 a.m. To finally accept that we are not a project for continuous improvement, but just human.
Don't hold on to your vows as if they were the last thing in the world.
Humor It's not just welcome when it comes to New Year's resolutions - it's essential. Because if we take ourselves too seriously, the first slip-up can leave us feeling defeated.
One chocolate and the year is already "ruined". One missed workout and goodbye motivation. But the truth is much kinder, changes are not a straight line, they are more like a heartbeat. A little up, a little down – and that is a sign that we are alive.
Maybe this year is the time for different New Year's resolutions. The kind that don't scream, but whisper softly. For example – this year I will speak to myself the way I speak to the people I love. This year I will allow myself to rest without explanation. This year I will stop waiting for the “right moment” and start with “good enough”.
New Year doesn't need the perfect version of you. It needs sincerity. The kind that sometimes doubts, sometimes lags, sometimes gets lost – but always picks itself up again. Motivation is not a constant state, it is a wave. It comes and goes. What remains is the decision to return to ourselves, even when we are not doing well.
The best New Year's resolutions are not the ones we write on a list, but the ones we those we live in small moments. When we choose a walk instead of self-criticism. When we call a friend instead of keeping everything to ourselves. When we admit to ourselves that today is enough – and that we are enough.
And what if you happen to forget in February what you wished for in January? No problem.. New Year is not one day. It is a process. It is a journey. It is every Monday, every morning, every “let’s try again”.
May your new year be less about what you need to become – and more about who you already are.
