Have new years resolutions ever really worked?
I haven’t set new years resolutions in years, perhaps because one overarching goal for the year feels close-minded to me.
How can I possibly predict that I’ll still want that one goal in even a few months’ time?
My ever-changing mind simply says, “that’s a good joke.”
Though I do believe in the power of goal setting (as I’ve written about many times before), I’ve been resistant to jumping into it right away this year.
Usually, I’d map out everything I’d like to accomplish, but I’ve been feeling the urge to take things a little slower.
If you’ve been feeling a similar kind of way, here’s how you can ease into the year with flexible expectations.

Entering 2023 with ease
This time of year is riddled with other people sharing their tips to help you ‘get ahead of 99% of other people’ in the new year.
But I don’t want to get ahead of anyone else.
That’s not how I measure success.
I just want to (gently) get ahead of my past self.
I could feel bad about wanting to go slow, wondering if there’s something wrong with me because I don’t know my goals just yet. Like it’s my fault that I’m not ambitious, organized, or motivated enough.
But apparently, I’m not in the minority in wanting to go slow. I’ve been seeing a general pushback against setting goals, and there’s an overarching message from others along the lines of ‘don’t worry if you haven’t set goals just yet‘.
Here’s your reminder that you are welcome to hop, skip & even slide into this new year without creating not one resolution.
— Michelle. (@thegmichelle) January 2, 2023
✨ It is more than okay to enjoy exactly where you are.
Maybe it’s just the circles I’m in, but everyone seems to be anti-resolution these days (which I’m not mad about at all).
Perhaps it’s because goals are automatically associated with the hustle, and people are tired of always pushing for the next thing.
We need to shift away from the old way of doing things and realize that slow growth is still growth.
It’s better to move towards goals with intention, rather than rushing simply just to get them done.
Related Post: 5 Tips to Pause Hustle Mode and Slow Down

Choose a word and focus areas
For the time being, I’m using words of the year as my anchors.
I recommend Susannah Conway’s workbook for choosing which words to use.
The words I’ve chosen for this year are pursue, presence, and connect.
Here’s what they mean to me:
- Pursue: to put effort into the things I want to do, even when it feels scary
- Presence: to bring more mindfulness to the things I do
- Connect: to find ways to connect with like-minded people
I’ve also pinpointed a few areas of life that I’d like to focus on for the year: career, mindfulness/spirituality, and community.
These go hand in hand with the words I’ve chosen.
I’m going to give myself time to figure out what I’d like out of these areas, then focus on 1-2 smaller goals for each per quarter/season.
If you want to figure out which areas of life to choose, try going through this wellness wheel exercise.
And if you’re not sure of anything you want just yet, spend time away from the distractions of what other people are doing. Find ways to connect with yourself so you can come back to your own guidance.
Don’t rush to set goals if you’re not sure of them just yet – start with your focus areas and words to guide you.
6 Responses
This year I’m not using the “New Year objectives” mindset. I’m setting my focus into one word (my word for the year) and different activities that help me achieve it. I think it’s a more relaxed and easy way to start. Let’s see how it goes. Thanks for sharing!!
Love it, Sara!
This post made my heart sing! I’m all about a slower pace these days, especially now that the concept of “technostress” has been introduced into my sphere. I’m a writer so the idea of using “words of the year” instead of resolutions is so exciting to me. Thank you for what you do, Blissful Mind is my favorite blog + newsletter. <3
Technostress?? Ooh gotta look that one up. Thank you so much for the kind words, Ari!
I enjoyed reading this article! Setting small, achievable goals is much more sustainable than making drastic resolutions. I’m going to try incorporating some of these ideas into my routine. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Hey Catherine,
I loved your approach. I think the concept of “resolutions, goals” is overhyped these days. We need to understand that things take their time and get better gradually. We all get slow down and work with a piece of mind in our head and not with a burden of our goals
thanks