I Didn’t Start the Year With Resolutions. I Started It With Dread.
At the end of December (and into January) I was dreading the start of 2026.
No excitement.
A lack of motivation.
Pure dread.
Not for any reason in particular, just that I’ve never loved resolutions. They feel performative, polished, and fake. People love to announce their wildly big New Year’s resolutions - and instead of feeling inspired, I feel annoyed.
That doesn’t mean they don’t work for some people—they absolutely do. There are people who thrive on structure, deadlines, and clearly defined outcomes. I respect that and their methods.
But for many of us, resolutions become something else entirely. They become a measuring stick we use to beat ourselves with.
We set goals that are massive and rigid, expecting immediate momentum. We assume January will magically deliver clarity, discipline, and energy simply because it’s January. Then real life inevitably shows up—exhaustion, competing priorities, kids, work, grief, burnout—we decide we’ve already failed.
As if the year is lost by January 12th.
Success is not always loud or visible and progress is rarely linear.
We’ve glamorized the highlight reel—the dramatic transformation, the big reveal, the “before and after.” But most real growth happens quietly. In tiny decisions and moments that don’t always seem impressive enough to list on paper.
Progress can look like:
Choosing one small habit instead of ten
Showing up imperfectly instead of not at all
Getting through a hard week without quitting
Letting go of timelines that no longer fit your life
Redefining what “enough” looks like right now
Micro goals don’t mean you’re thinking small. They mean you’re thinking sustainably (and not trying to show off while doing it).
Not everything is urgent and important.
We forget that consistency matters more than intensity. That momentum doesn’t have to be dramatic to be real and pressure is not the same thing as motivation.
You don’t need to overhaul your entire life because the calendar flipped.
You don’t need a word of the year.
You don’t need a perfectly articulated vision on January 1st.
Sometimes the most honest goal is simply: feel a little more like myself again.
And that counts.
If this year feels less like a sprint and more like a slow walk to helping yourself, you’re not behind, lazy or unmotivated.
You’re human.
I choose to measure success differently. Not by how dramatic the outcome looks, but by whether the pace allows me to keep going. By how much I smile because I am in one piece and can point back to things that make me proud.
