Ditch the Resolution

There are many better words to focus your year

Resolution: It’s one of the single most used words this time of year. Watch The Today Show on January 1. After recapping the ball drop in Times Square and global fireworks from Sydney to London, some health and wellness “expert” will be interviewed by Savannah Guthrie on how to make RESOLUTIONS real this year. This is the year you’ll make ‘em happen!

This year, while I made my coffee, I watched the so-called expert present her top tips to deliver in 2026. They presented some fancy checklist with daily calendar to help you stay on top of the resolution. It’s as simple as channeling the skills of your inner project manager, right? Pardon my skepticism.

Do a quick Google Search on failure rate of New Years resolutions. Guess what you’ll find? Failure galore. Only about 10% of people actually achieve their resolution. 80% of people have quit by mid-February. The phenomenon is so prevalent that there is even a day called “Quitters’ Day” in mid-January.

There’s many reasons why we fail. We dream too big. We don’t have a plan. We give up after a slip up. I’m sure you can identify more.

While I watched the “expert” share her personal SMART goal (i.e. - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound) and Critical Path Schedule to master your resolution, I had an alternative thought. Maybe we should just change the word, change our perspective.

Is part of the reason for our failure because we’ve framed the challenge inappropriately? Is the word “resolution” too lofty? What might be a better angle at refocusing our brain to improve our results?

Let’s try a different word. One that can give ourselves a little grace and not put our goals on such a lofty pedestal. To me, the problem is in the word resolution. Maybe I’m jaded. I’ve heard too many claims that we’re going to balance the budget, bring peace to the Middle-East, or get in better shape. Yet, the problems remain.

Want to know why? SOLVE is the root of the word resolution. It immediately creates a binary success or failure mindset within our brains. We either lose ten pounds or we don’t.

For epic Hollywood quests, this is needed. Harry Potter must vanquish Voldermort or be defeated by him. There is no in between. People want closure and resolution. Yet, real life is dominated by shades of gray.

So, without losing the ping of the phrase New Years Resolution — it’s got a catchy ring to it — I’ve come up with few alternative words to consider. I’ve even come up with some to avoid.

Words BETTER than Resolution

There are SOOOOOOOOOOOOO MANY better words! Each of these fit the catchy ping of the generally accepted statement.

Contributions - Maybe all you have to ask yourself is what you will contribute your effort toward. Our greatest assets are money and time. How might you use this word to center the distribution of your ultimate resources?

Evolutions - Maybe it’s as simple as taking baby steps. This worked for Bill Murray in the movie What About Bob? Murray’s character baby stepped himself to a better life, overcoming the psychological barriers that held him back. What about saying I’m going to make this one small move this year. Instead of “Getting in Shape” maybe it’s I’m going to work out on Fridays or I’m going to take a ten-minute walk twice a day.

Institutions - Building on the same idea above, you could consider instituting something new. Want to be a writer? I recently met with someone who instituted a write at least one paragraph each day objective. Her big goal was to write a book. Yet, she wasn’t a “writer” per se. She instituted a step that built steam over time. By the end of the year, she had a book.

Substitutions - You could focus on substituting a bad habit for a good one. Let’s stay on the weight loss idea for a moment. Maybe you eat ice cream every night. Don’t give up ice cream! Maybe some nights you just substitute it for a delicious piece of fruit. You still assuage the sweet tooth but with a little more fiber and less saturated fat.

Absolution - How might you forgive? Simply identifying how you might absolve someone of their slights against you or yourself is a worthy thing to consider. You’ll sleep better.

There’s a few simple suggestions. Ditch the word RESOLUTION. Don’t expect to solve anything. Expect progress. Reconsider your focus against worthy goals with a small change in the word you anchor your year to.

One last thought. Unless you are a Darth Vader level sith, you may want to avoid the words retribution, prosecution, and diminution. The will focus you on the dark side of the force. Stay on the good side of the energy field. Channel your inner Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker and put your focus on good!

Thanks for reading!

Paul G. Fisher