New Year’s Resolutions
It is that season when everyone seems to be making grand plans for how this year will be different. We often set out with good intentions and lofty goals that require changing well-established habits for an entirely new way of life. We can set fuzzy goals like, “I will be more generous,” yet we don’t determine any parameters for what that looks like. When it is difficult to measure success, we can lose motivation easily. Or we set goals that are just too big. If someone who has never lifted weights before decides they will now go to a gym and lift every day so they can look like a body builder by year's end… well, it will be easy to get overwhelmed and discouraged.
With goals like these, it is typical that sometime around mid-February, we have failed several times over and just give up completely. I’ve been reflecting again on the ideas I shared in Chasing Perfect. It is always good to seek personal improvement. We should set goals for ourselves, but how do we do it in a way that sets us up for success?
I’ll turn to St Augustine’s wisdom on this one. A quote from one of his sermons says this: “You aspire to do great things? Begin with little ones.”
Set goals that are small and achievable! Think of it as a road map to where you would ultimately like to end up. As much as we want to, we usually can’t just leap to the end goal. If you want to read more, pick one book that you’ve been wanting to read. Start there. If you’ve been meaning to spend more time in prayer, choose 5 minutes a day when you can consistently get quiet with God. If you want to learn a new hobby, pick one small project you can tackle without getting overwhelmed. Legacy Market would love to walk alongside you on this one! (Subscribe to our email list to stay in the loop when new learning opportunities are posted.)
Small, consistent changes help you gain confidence, build momentum, and begin to establish new habits. Lastly, and probably most important, remember that change is hard. Have a lot of grace for yourself. Take small steps in the direction you want to go and if you misstep, just take a deep breath and keep going. May God richly bless you in 2026!