Tired of failing New Year’s Resolutions? Try these self-care hacks for lasting change instead!

“What are your New Year’s Resolutions, Mrs. Ojeda?” one of my students asked me at the start of the new semester.

“I don’t have any,” I answered.

“That’s lame. Everyone has New Year’s resolutions!” he insisted.

“You mean, everyone makes resolutions on December 31, and by January 31, everyone has started failing their New Year’s resolutions.”

“Not me!”

“Tell me about your resolutions for this year.”

“I want to earn all As, get in better shape, and stop talking so much in class because I’m always getting in trouble.”

The class erupted in laughter. “You’ve already failed the third one!” someone whispered loudly.

“You’ve chosen some admirable goals,” I assured him. “Will you share your plan for meeting those goals with us?”

“Uh, plan?” he said. “I figured I’d just do those things.”

“How’s it working for you so far?”

“It’s the first day of the new semester,” he said.

“And you’re still talking a lot,” another student pointed out.

“A resolution is just a wish,” I explained. “When I weighed 190 lbs, I wished I weighed less. But that wish didn’t help me make lasting changes.”

“What? You used to weigh 190 lbs!”

“No way.”

The class looked at me in disbelief.

“It’s true, and I have a few photos to prove it,” I said. “Maybe one day I’ll share them with you. I didn’t start losing weight or making lasting changes until I started looking for solutions to my problems instead of resolutions. They say a goal without a plan is just a wish.

“But we’ve used enough class time talking about New Year’s Resolutions today. Let’s get back to history.” Groans erupted. “Don’t worry,” I assured the class, “I’ll circle back tomorrow and tell you more about why I broke up with New Year’s Resolutions and what I use instead.”

If you’re reading this, you won’t have to join my history class to find out my plan for lasting change. Simply click the audio player above or download today’s podcast on your favorite podcast app.

If you’ve never heard of the after-action review concept, this post will help.

“The Psychology of Fresh Starts” by Greg Chertoff

You may find this post on goal-setting helpful. If you want to form habits, this post might help you.

Next week, I promise you will hear the interview with William Daniel! He’s a super-cool middle-school kid who recently had a book of original jokes published. He has some great ideas on how to use laughter as a form of self-care.

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