Those Pesky New Year’s Resolutions – Why Bother?

Here it is, the end of January already, and I’ve yet to do my New Year’s Resolutions. It’s so late now, I asked myself, ‘Why bother?”

But then, I know why I bother to do them. It’s a good opportunity for some self-reflection and the setting of personal goals. It’s a chance to review what progress I’ve made and what I need to improve. Often, some of this year’s resolutions are borrowed from last year’s resolutions. Boring and same old, but obviously goals that weren’t met and I still think are worth pursuing. This year, I’m trying to be more specific in my goal setting, so they are more meaningfully measurable.

I’ve definitely managed to keep several resolutions in the past. I’ve lost weight and maintained it. For the most part, I eat healthy. I drink less alcohol. I exercise regularly and walk every day. I write regularly, almost daily. I’ve managed to use the F-bomb less frequently… darn, I need to work on that one.

I need to write down my resolutions, share them, and say them aloud, so they feel real and worthwhile. It makes me feel accountable. So here are my 2026 resolutions. I resolve...

1. To learn Portuguese for our upcoming Camino Portugués adventure in April. I love languages, so this one should be fun and easy. I’ve subscribed to DuoLingo and I’m working on it already. Nossa!

2. To stay in closer contact with friends and relatives. Days, weeks, and months fly by and I forget to keep in touch with people whom I really care about. Prioritizing people needs to make it to my ‘to-do’ list.

3. To swear less. I’m sure there are better alternatives to expressing frustration than dropping the F-bomb, but I just haven’t found them. I’ll continue to look in 2026.

4. To drink more water and drink less coffee.

5. To carve out more time for reading.

6. To be more patient, kind, and tolerant. This one makes the list every single year, and I’ve yet to master it. It’s not really measurable, but I know I’ve made some headway… just not enough.

7. To learn not to discuss politics with friends and family who have different views from mine. It’s fruitless and goes downhill fast.

8. To be less resistant to change and more open to trying new ways of doing things. It took forever for Lin to convince me to use an iPhone, and now I can’t live without it.

9. To volunteer more. I joined the Red Cross volunteers last year, but I need to designate more hours to volunteering in 2026. It’s time to give back.

I’m sure there’s much more to work on, but I don’t want to overwhelm myself. This will suffice for 2026.

Do you make New Year’s resolutions? Do you keep them? Is it a worthwhile exercise? Inquiring minds want to know!