It’s not breaking news: the new year equates to a must-do, or you’ll be disappointed mentality. From cutting sugar to being kinder, every January 1st of my adult life I have penned a laundry list of New Year's resolutions.... and to be honest, every year I find myself feeling overwhelmed by my somewhat fictitious commitments. It only took thirty-something trips around the sun, but I finally learned my lesson. 

I’ve officially ditched the traditional notion of resolutions for goals. After the champagne toasts are over and my yoga pants are on, I set goals. My personal mantras to make *me* better. It could be one or three, but I outline real, authentic goals that illicit an overjoyed feeling when it comes to a fresh perspective. Forget the whole new year, new you—I am now embracing the new year as a continuation of my journey. An exclamation point on my well-being. 

But what really made me say goodbye to resolutions? Despite how much I enjoy sparklers and the dressy attire, these are the three reasons why I changed how I view the start to a new year. It’s about time we loved ourselves a little more and kicked some serious butt. 

“Sometimes a plan is a list of things that don’t happen.”

Real talk: Resolutions set us up for disappointment. 
I once read a blog that said when you set expectations, you set yourself up for disappointment. Lightbulb moment: resolutions are just that. Whether it’s my wellness plan, work, or a relationship, I’ve found this truth to be, well, pretty true. So instead of making resolutions, I look at the new year as a chance for simple, positive guiding principles that can influence my actions each and every day. You shouldn’t feel bad about yourself just because the scale doesn’t show that magical number you wanted to reach by a certain date or your busy calendar had you miss your gym session. Life happens—and I am finally realizing that.

“Dear self, today you will shine.”

Feel the focus: Find what's most important to you.
As we welcome a new year, find one area of your life you want to focus your energy on. For me, it’s all about mental (and emotional) wellness. By refining my new year's goals, I can shift my focus to one element of my life that I would like to improve on personally and everything else that benefits my well-being is an added bonus. Fitness, finances, relationships, balance—aspects of our life can feel overwhelming.  Streamlining a relatable goal can help prioritize what is most important to you in the new year. And don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t have to be a lofty goal either... find that one thing you are hoping to shift for an even more amazing you. 

“Change is the only constant in life.” 

Note to self: It’s okay to fail. Seriously. 
It took a long time for me to not feel guilty for not meeting (or exceeding) my resolutions. Why didn’t I do it right? Why couldn’t I make it happen? These negative questions would plague the lines of my journal just a few weeks into the new year. I used to feel like my resolutions were this hard deadline I must achieve. Now, by establishing goals and accepting that they can shift, I’ve created a sense of positive accountability, accepting that it’s okay to reset my priorities and update what I want to achieve as the year progresses. Maybe I didn’t stick to my meal plan by eating a homemade brownie at work. Or maybe I didn’t hit the bench press reps I was on track to complete today. But guess what? I enjoyed that treat. I still made it to the gym. Owning change and accepting accomplishments—even if they seem small—is something we should all be proud of.

So this new year, join me in ditching resolutions and setting goals! Watch out 2020; this is going to be our best year yet!