5 New Year Resolutions to Make 2023 Your Best Year Yet

The start of a new year is a common time to make a resolution or commitment to bettering oneself for the year ahead. It’s an admirable tradition that is usually motivated by the desire to live a more happy, healthy, and meaningful life.

55% of Americans set health-related resolutions each year. But there is one major problem with these goals. Most people bail on their resolution by January 12th.

This year, if you’re looking for a fresh start and trying to set a goal, we have curated a list of 5 types of resolutions that will help you make 2023 your best year yet.

Start with something you’re excited and passionate about.
Resolutions require a lot of discipline and some sacrifices. That means they are already hard enough before you layer in a subject material that you aren’t enthusiastic about. This year, instead of picking common resolutions that make you cringe, like a diet, consider committing more time and energy to something you’re actually passionate about and will make you happy. That way, when you wake up in a few weeks to a cold, dark morning where you don’t feel like doing anything and the newness of your resolution has worn off, you have that extra bit of joy and passion to help keep you on track. Here are a few inspiration activities we’ve collected from our community to spark your imagination:

• Spend more time in nature
• Creative expression / build something new
• Practice / learn something new (instrument, language, fitness class)
• Read more books for fun
• Cook / bake more
• Schedule more quality time with your partner/ friends
• Travel somewhere new

Pick a goal that prioritizes how you feel, not how you look.
Don’t obsess over the scale, the mirror, or what you imagine other people are thinking about you. A resolution should be about you and how it ultimately makes you feel about yourself. Give yourself grace and let your feelings guide you. This doesn’t mean you should quit when you get outside your comfort zone, but consider logging how you feel in a journal each night after some reflection and charting your progress that way.

Consider stopping something instead of starting something.
Sometimes less is more. If adding something new to your already busy life feels daunting and unrealistic, consider removing something that isn’t making your life better and feels like a bad habit, distraction or clutter. Here are some examples we’ve heard:

• Taking a break from social media
• Less screen time, especially things that leave you feeling sad or negative
• Cutting a bad habit like biting your nails or over-snacking
• Sop being a yes person. Set healthy boundaries personally and professionally
• Stop the negative self talk or gossip and re-focus your mind on the positives
• Reduce your waste

Don’t forget your mental health.
Many resolutions focus on our external life. Where we go and what we do or don’t do. But don’t forget to consider your mental health when making your resolutions. Pick small, attainable goals that will help keep your mind engaged and in balance with your physical body. Here are a few ideas:

• Create space for quiet time, prayer, or meditation
• Practice random acts of kindness, volunteer, or give compliments more freely. Happiness is contagious.
• Pick practices and resolutions that are intended to reduce stress, not create more.
• Begin or end your days with a gratitude journal to remind you of all you have to be thankful for.
• Let go of grudges and resentment
• Stay in touch with your core community
• Explore guided meditation, yoga, or a mindfulness class with others

Create a resolution with a family member or friend.
Set a goal with someone in your life to make it that much more fun and to help hold each other accountable when times get tough. This goal could be focused on your relationship: spend more time together or try something new together. Or it may be an activity or goal that you both are passionate about: train for a 5k, read a book a month, or taking a Spanish class together.

No matter your resolution, it is important that it is specific, measurable, sustainable, aspirational while still achievable, and meaningful to your everyday life.

Cheers to a new year. A better you starts now!