Fresh Starts and Big Dreams
🎆 Rethinking New Year's Resolutions with a twist.
Happy New Year, Health Heroes.
Every December, we collectively hold our breath for the magic of January 1st—the moment when everything resets, and the promise of a “new year, new me” feels within reach. Yet, how often does that burst of ambition last beyond February?
Spoiler alert: not often. According to this article, a recent study shows that only 9% of people stick with their New Year’s resolutions long enough to achieve their goals. That statistic isn’t meant to discourage but to inspire us to think differently about how we approach self-improvement.
In case you’re curious, Forbes found the most popular New Year’s goals are:
Improved fitness (48%)
Improved finances (38%)
Improved mental health (36%)
Lose weight (34%)
Improved diet (32%)
Why bother making resolutions if the odds aren’t in our favor? Psychologically, setting goals gives us a sense of purpose and control. But here’s the catch: vague resolutions like “work out more” or “lose weight” often fail because they lack clarity and a tangible plan. But is that true for everyone? And how can we actually make change stick, especially when it comes to our health?
A Fresh Start Across Cultures
While January 1st may feel like a universal reset, other cultures embrace fresh starts in ways worth exploring. The Chinese New Year, celebrated on a moving date between late January and mid-February, focuses on renewal and family unity. Similarly, Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, marks the triumph of light over darkness and serves as a time to clear out the old and welcome the new. Even the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, emphasizes reflection and setting intentions for the year ahead.
These traditions show us that starting fresh is less about the date than the mindset, less about the specific goal, and more about the intention.
Intentions vs Goals
In the U.S., New Year’s resolutions are often about setting concrete goals—whether it’s losing weight, exercising more, or saving money.
The action-driven approach is frequently tied to the SMART framework: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Research shows that goals designed this way are more likely to lead to success as they provide clarity and direction. For example, committing to “walk 30 minutes every day” is more actionable than simply saying, “I’ll get healthier.” (You’ve heard this before, I’m sure!)
In contrast, as I mentioned, many other cultures embrace intentions during fresh-start moments like the Lunar New Year or Rosh Hashanah. Intentions are about how we approach life, not just what we do. They focus on cultivating values and guiding principles, such as patience, gratitude, or curiosity.
What if the real magic happens when we align intentions with goals?
This can be mental, emotional, spiritual, or physical. Here’s what that might look like:
🏃 Physically, what if you ran a marathon in the name of an ill friend so you could embrace your goal of running and your intention to be a more supportive friend? Then you could have clear, measurable goals, like running every day for at least 30 minutes for 90 days, to help you meet the running goal while sharing your success with your friend and how they inspire you.
🙏🏾 Spiritually, what if you intended to connect more with God this year and then added the measurable goals of reading for 5 minutes and then praying/meditating 5 minutes every evening?
🌿 Emotionally, what if you wanted to cultivate more self-compassion? Your intention could be to practice kindness toward yourself, and your measurable goals might include writing down one thing you appreciate about yourself every morning and meeting with a therapist on a regular, affordable schedule. These actions build an emotional connection to your intention by creating space for self-reflection and gratitude.
What if you focused on incremental gains to reach your intention instead of overhauling your entire life?
This approach, inspired by the theory of the aggregation of marginal gains (or what I call incremental gains), as beautifully illustrated by James Clear, suggests that small, consistent changes compound into significant results over time.
If those changes aligned with your intention to live a more health-nurturing life, you could start by drinking one extra glass of water each day or taking a short daily walk. While these may seem trivial, think about how consistently done they can dramatically impact your health over the course of a year.
(Bonus points if your intention of achieving better health involves micro-boosting one of the Core 4 — going to sleep half an hour earlier, perhaps, or drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. You’d be amazed at how many nebulous symptoms clear up!)
What About Bigger Dreams?
What if you had the intention of impacting the world with your knowledge? This year, maybe you can start to think beyond the ordinary. What’s one big dream you’ve tucked away because it felt too daunting?
Want to write a book? Start with one page a day.
Dreaming of a career pivot? Reach out to network with one person in another career or mentor each month.
Want to travel more? Explore five new places you can afford this year and pick one.
Do Today What Your Future Self Will Thank You For
Here’s another way to look at starting your new year in a new way, because I get it - it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of a year’s worth of goals.
Instead, boil it down to one question: What can I do today to set myself up for tomorrow?
Whether that’s eating a wholesome dinner, taking five minutes to meditate, or writing an email to a potential collaborator, the key is focusing on the now.
If you still feel skeptical, remember: those 9% of people who succeed with their resolutions don’t have superpowers—they just start small and stay consistent.
Shift Away from Goals to Intentions, See What Happens.
The twist lies in shifting away from the traditional idea of big, sweeping resolutions toward a more intentional, thoughtful approach.
Think about it. The idea of “new year, new me” is… sad. I like the old you, I like the old me, and it’s not old, it’s lovely and beautiful and perfectly us. Instead of “new year, new me,” let’s swap it to thinking about pre-deciding small actions today that create a better tomorrow.
Let’s emphasize the power of incremental gains over grandiose goals, blending practical psychology with inspiration to make small changes that add up.
The real twist is also in challenging conventional health and self-improvement goals. What if we didn’t just aim for predictable resolutions like “work out more” or “lose weight” but instead focused on personal growth, big dreams, or even nontraditional ideas like building deeper connections, exploring new skills, or pursuing bold aspirations? What if we centered around a theme, like “kindness” or “healing”?
(If healing resonates with you, you must get my book Health Shift: Your Personalized Guide to Making Strategic Health Decisions to help you create healing momentum! May 13 is the release date, and a chance to pre-order will come soon! I’m so excited!)
Again, it's not just about improvement; it’s about creating a central theme and doing small actions around that theme to subtly shift your direction toward a new horizon.
“Resolution" is rigid and militant, a demand to conquer or achieve at all costs.
Use a softer, more inviting term to embrace change in a way that feels less intimidating and more aligned with your personal growth.
Intention feels thoughtful and purposeful, focusing on the why behind your actions.
Focus implies clarity and direction without the pressure of perfection.
Commitment adds an element of dedication while allowing room for flexibility.
Pathway suggests a journey rather than a destination — progress and exploration.
Goal is straightforward and practical, though it might lack the emotional nuance of other options. Still, it’s frank and uncomplicated — maybe that’s something you need this year.
Aspiration invites dreaming and reaching without the heavy burden of obligation.
Vision provides a bigger-picture mindset, inspiring long-term purpose and broad ideas with room for flexibility.
Priority helps emphasize what truly matters without being overwhelming.
Promise offers a personal, heartfelt sense of accountability.
Momentum highlights movement and progress rather than rigid achievement, and encourages continual progression.
So instead of "New Year’s Resolution," you could say:
"New Year’s Intention"
"New Year’s Focus"
"My Vision for the Year"
"My 2025 Priority"
See how this feels different than New Year’s Resolution? These words are more compassionate and dynamic in their approach to growth—one that feels exciting rather than burdensome.
OK — If You’re Still a Resolution Kind of Person, At Least Be Scientific About It
If you thrive on setting traditional New Year’s resolutions, make them count by grounding them in science. Research published in PLOS ONE (2020) provides valuable insights into what makes resolutions stick. The study found that people who set approach-oriented goals—focusing on actions they want to start or increase (e.g., “I will add a vegetable to every meal”)—are significantly more likely to succeed than those who set avoidance-oriented goals (e.g., “I will stop eating junk food”).
Moreover, regular support and feedback—such as checking in with a friend, coach, or even a journal—enhanced success rates. Participants who broke their resolutions into small, actionable steps and allowed room for flexibility were also more likely to maintain progress throughout the year. Encouragingly, the study found that 55% of people considered their resolutions successful after one year, a far more optimistic view than the often-cited 9% success rate from other studies.
Pause, Reflect, Dream Bigger
As we approach another year, pause to rethink what resolutions really mean. What if we stopped chasing perfection and focused on intentional, steady progress?
Here’s your challenge: pick one intention, then add one small win to achieve that. Or pick one big dream to pursue, then add one small win to get you there. Who knows? By this time next year, you could be part of that 9% but also actually be a whole new you!
On a personal note, THANK YOU to all of you who have been a part of Health Shift this year! It has been a big year of incremental and monumental growth for myself and my team here at Health Shift, and 2025 is shaping up to be full of challenging growth — including a book launch!
It seems like we’re only picking up more steam and couldn’t have done it without your feedback, support, and personal stories. Thank you for trusting me with your health, and I can’t wait to watch us all keep growing through this next season.
Have a happy New Year and I’ll see you next year!
🥂 Cheers,
Dr. Alice
A little more about Dr. Alice Burron and The Health Navigator Group:
You can find more about The Health Navigator Group at our website: www.thehealthnavigator.org
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