New Year, More Me: An alternative view of resolution making & self-improvement

Have you ever made a New Year’s resolution before? Maybe you even just set one for 2025. How many times have you set resolutions that sound great in theory, but are not sustainable long-term? Usually, people set resolutions at the start of a new something, whether it’s a new year, new month, a Monday, etc. These resolutions tend to be related to self-improvement, like ending a “bad” habit or picking up a “good” one. There can be pressure to make a big change at the start of a new year, causing you to look critically at yourself and your life to determine how you’d like to improve.

I have an alternative thought, though it’s not necessarily a new concept. What if, instead of trying to change yourself, you focus on becoming more yourself? What if, instead of trying to implement something new, like trying to learn a language or start a fitness routine, or trying to stop something less desirable, like spending beyond your means or biting your nails, you leaned into an existing aspect of yourself? What if you work with what you already enjoy or are good at and put more passion into that?

For example, if you love drawing, maybe you allow yourself to doodle any time, even trying to draw new things or using new techniques while doing so. If you were to build on things you’re already interested in, you are doing a few things. You’re acknowledging that you have good qualities already. You are taking pressure off of yourself to create this significant change and instead allowing yourself to improve in a more organic, sustainable way, as you’re already invested. You are also likely boosting your self-confidence by becoming even more knowledgable about or accomplished in something that matters to you in your life right now.

What is that thing about you that makes you, you? How could you lean into yourself more and away from the influence of others? How can you increase your own capacity and not try to lessen yourself, be someone you’re not, or change something because society tells you to do so? I think if your resolution is to be more yourself this year, you may find long-term success.