Taking away the pressure of New Year resolutions but still feeling motivated for 2025

Written By Rachel Ann

On social media right now, we’re either seeing people with a zillion unrealistic goals who are ready to crush the new year or people saying that there’s no real significance to a new year except for when we write dates on paper. Those are two extremes. While I get where both sides are coming from, I think the real answer is something in middle - having goals you feel good about that don’t add too much pressure but enough to have you feel motivated, while feeling hopeful for a new start without over-amplifying every small thing.

It’s a tough balance to strike, so let’s dive into it.

Consider a word, motto, verse, or song of the year

I’ll be honest, I don’t love New Year resolutions. I think the essence is positive (a fresh new start! try new things! feel hopeful about the future!) but the meaning tends to get lost when we try new drastic goals instead of baby steps. And a lot of the time, we end up in a shame spiral when we don’t complete those unrealistic goals or we overspend on scammy gurus and feel depleted. Buyer beware - scammy folks love to monopolize around New Year’s!

I myself don’t use resolutions, but instead I take the month of January to fast and pray about what God has in store for me for the year. It’s usually a word or phrase, a verse, and sometimes a song too to help me center on God wants me to focus on for the year. I find that this takes the pressure off, since I’m focusing on what God wants for me instead of making the “perfect” goals myself, and I feel more motivated because He’s with me through the process as I gives me the word/phrase/song/whatever else for the year.

Take a break from the pressure

If you notice that you’re feeling pressure to make all these goals or you’re all of a sudden feeling down and unsatisfied with your life because you’re comparing it to others, then take a moment to pause and ask yourself these questions:

  • Where is the pressure coming from - social media? family? friends? coworkers? society?

  • Do I agree with them or no?

  • What does God have to say about this?

By taking a step back and asking yourself these questions, you’ll figure out what’s really going on. Is it something you actually want or is it to please someone else? Are these things realistic? What small steps can you implement instead of taking a big leap?

You may also want to consider taking a break from these pressures - if it’s social media, then take a social media break; if it’s family/friends/coworkers. then consider lowering the amount of time you spend with them while you figure out your goals for yourself. Take time to be with yourself to see how you honestly thing and feel about the goal, which will help you keep motivation months from now in completing that goal because you actually want it!

Keep doing what worked for you last year

If you really want a resolution for the year, then think about what worked well for you last year. Was it a new work out routine, sleep schedule, travel budget, or something else? Whatever it is that worked, make it your resolution this year to continue doing that! As the old adage says, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. So if something you enjoyed worked well for your last year, do again this year.

No it’s not a cop out or taking the easy route when it comes to resolutions. Creating a new goal is hard, but so is maintaining that goal too. So allow yourself to build on what you learned and enjoyed from last year, and see what sprinkles of 2025 can do for you!

Need more support? Lemme help you sis:

Rachel Ann
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