{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Why I Still Believe in New Year Goals (Even Though I Don\u2019t Do Resolutions) - BLOG","description":"Boom. It\u2019s January. The month where we all set wildly impossible New Year\u2019s resolutions\u2026 burn out by January 3rd\u2026 and then spend the rest of the year feeling vaguely guilty about it. Obviously, that\u2019s not the way we\u2019re meant to approach change. But what I\u2019ve noticed this year is something interesting. After years of failed resolutions, a lot of people have swung hard in the opposite direction. They\u2019re done trying. Done planning. Done setting goals altogether. \u201cNo resolutions.\u201d \u201cNo goals.\u201d \u201cNo pressure.\u201d And while I understand the exhaustion behind that response, I don\u2019t actually think it\u2019s the answer either. You don\u2019t have to set New Year goals, but I do think thoughtful planning and goal setting is a very good and very healthy practice. The key isn\u2019t whether you plan. It\u2019s how. The \u201cMagic\u201d of January 1st (And Why It\u2019s Not Actually Magical) When people talk about New Year\u2019s resolutions, there\u2019s usually an assumption that January 1st is somehow magical. Like you wake up as a brand-new person who suddenly has more discipline, motivation, and willpower than you did on December 31st. That\u2019s obviously ridiculous. So instead of trying and failing again, many of us swear off making changes altogether. But here\u2019s the thing: the New Year is a natural time to reassess, not because it\u2019s magical, but because of what comes right before it. We\u2019re coming off Christmas. A season of feasting, celebrating, late nights, disrupted routines, and full calendars. By the time January rolls around, most of us are craving rhythm again. Simplicity. Structure. Normal bedtimes. Regular meals. It\u2019s completely natural, after a season of celebration, to want to reestablish healthy routines. That\u2019s often when we start thinking about things like: eating better moving our bodies getting up earlier having more energy being more intentional with our time diving back into Bible reading cleaning routines and household management and more That desire isn\u2019t shallow. It\u2019s human. The problem isn\u2019t wanting change. The problem is how we\u2019ve been taught to pursue it. Why I Don\u2019t Do Resolutions (But Do Set Goals) I\u2019ve never set a New Year\u2019s resolution in my life. Why? Because resolutions feel like wishes you throw into the universe and hope will somehow happen on their own. \u201cI want to lose weight.\u201d \u201cI want to get fit.\u201d \u201cI want to be healthier.\u201d Those aren\u2019t bad desires, but they\u2019re not plans. Let\u2019s say someone makes a resolution to \u201close weight.\u201d By December, they\u2019re often frustrated, discouraged, and sometimes heavier than when they started. Not because they\u2019re lazy, but because there was never a clear target or a path forward. A goal, on the other hand, changes everything. Is it semantics? Maybe. But it\u2019s semantics that matter. A Real Example From My Life One of my personal goals for 2026 is to lose 30 pounds. The number itself is somewhat arbitrary. What I really want is to: fit into my pre\u2013baby #8 clothes again have less pain and stiffness regain my energy rebuild my strength If that happens at 25 pounds or 35 pounds, that\u2019s fine. But having a concrete number gives me something to aim for. More importantly, making this a goal instead of a resolution allows me to create action steps\u2014and that\u2019s where real change happens. My end goal is simple: Be down 30 pounds by December 31, 2026. That tells me two important things: This isn\u2019t going to happen overnight. I don\u2019t need to rush or punish my body to get there. So instead of demanding instant results, I ask a better question: "What small, realistic steps can I take consistently over time?" How I\u2019m Breaking This Goal Down Here\u2019s what that looks like for me right now: Step #1: Diet I had good success with Trim Healthy Mama in 2025 (and in years past), so I\u2019m starting there again. This feels doable because it\u2019s familiar. If it weren\u2019t, I\u2019d make only diet my focus for January and add other steps later as I got this into an easy to manage habit. Step #2: Strength training I\u2019m doing Nourish Move Love\u2019s 30-day beginner workout. And yes, it\u2019s humbling. I\u2019m using 2.5lb weights (don't laugh!) and taking it slow. After baby #8, my core and pelvic floor need rebuilding. My goal for February is to repeat the program with 5lb weights. Eventually, I want to get into weight lifting this year, but not at the expense of healing. Step #3: Walking I\u2019m walking the two-mile loop at our local lake two to three times per week, weather permitting. Nothing fancy. Just movement and getting outside with the kids! Step #4: Gut health I\u2019m back to daily kefir (December took me off track) and plan to slowly reintroduce cultured vegetables in February and beyond. This is a key piece for me right now. But I'll take this one slowly with all my other goals I have. That\u2019s it. Four steps. No perfection required. Why This Works (And Resolutions Don\u2019t) As I move through January, February, and March, I\u2019ll reassess. Do I need to adjust my eating? Increase strength training? Pull back and rebuild basics? Check iron levels again? (Getting my iron up helped me lose 10 pounds at the end of 2025.) I would have loved to lose all 40 pounds in 2025. That didn\u2019t happen. And instead of spiraling, I learned something important: my body needed support first. Now I feel poised to make real progress in 2026, not because I\u2019m forcing change, but because I\u2019m working with my season, not against it. This Week on the Blog: A Mini Goal-Setting Series Throughout this week, I\u2019m sharing a short series on planning and goal setting. Here\u2019s what\u2019s coming: How to evaluate last year without guilt or discouragement How Jason and I plan family goals A breakdown of our family goals and my personal for 2026 My word for 2026 and a prayer for the future If there\u2019s an area of goal planning you\u2019re struggling with, or a goal you don\u2019t know how to break down, tell me. I\u2019d love to address it in this series. Want to Do This Together? If you\u2019d like hands-on help with planning and goal setting, I\u2019m hosting live trainings January 12\u201316 inside our Planning & Goal Setting course. Each day we\u2019ll meet live, I\u2019ll teach you how to: set realistic goals break them into action steps plan in a way that works with your life (not against it) You\u2019ll also receive all of my planning worksheets so you can take immediate action. If you\u2019ve struggled to make goals that stick\u2014and you want 2026 to be different\u2014join me for our 3rd annual planning retreat. We\u2019ll do it together. Sign U Here: https:\/\/findingjoyinyourhome.com\/planning  ","author_name":"Finding Joy in Your Home","author_url":"https:\/\/findingjoyinyourhome.com\/category\/podcast\/","html":"