Resolutions Are Cute. Goals Change Your Life.

I actually took a Christmas break.

Like… a real one.

No laptop. No inbox. No “just quickly checking something.” I disappeared on purpose. So if you noticed the silence - sorry (not sorry). I needed it.

Now I’m back. Happy 2026. I genuinely hope this year is good to you.

And since it’s the first post of the year, we need to talk about the thing that never goes out of fashion:

New Year’s resolutions.

I’m not against the intention. I’m against the delusion.

Because every January, we watch the same little theatre play.

Week 1: the gym is packed. Everyone is “starting fresh.”
Week 3: half the people are gone.
End of January: it’s basically back to normal.

And it’s not because people are lazy. It’s because most resolutions aren’t plans. They’re vibes.

A Resolution Is a Wish Dressed Up as Discipline

“I want to get fit.”
“I want to be happier.”
“I want to travel more.”
“I want to change careers.”
“I want to stop procrastinating.”

Cool. So does everyone.

But wanting isn’t a strategy.

If your “resolution” doesn’t come with a timeline, a number, a calendar, and a next step… it’s not a goal. It’s wishful thinking with a better outfit.

The Moment My Life Changed: When I Stopped Wishing and Started Planning

For years I used to say: “I want to travel the world.”

It sounded exciting. It sounded like me. It sounded like freedom.

But it wasn’t a goal.

It was a sentence I repeated to myself because it felt good.

Everything changed the moment I turned it into a SMART goal.

Not “one day.” Not “soon.” Not “when I have more money.”

I made it specific. I gave it a deadline. I worked out the budget. I decided where I wanted to go. I broke it down into steps: savings, timelines, itinerary, logistics, vaccinations—everything.

And guess what happened?

I travelled the world.

Not because I suddenly became a different person.
Because I stopped romanticising it and started building it.

That’s the difference between a resolution and a goal.

New Years Resolutions are wishes.

If You Want to Do This Properly, Do This (Keep It Simple)

Take yourself out for a coffee or a walk. No pressure. No performance. Just honesty.

Ask yourself:

• What do I actually want to achieve this year? (Not what I should want. What I want.)

• What would “done” look like in real life? (Numbers. Dates. Evidence.)

• What’s the first small step I can take in January?

• And who or what will keep me accountable when motivation disappears?

Because motivation always disappears. That’s normal.

The people who change aren’t the most motivated. They’re the most structured.

One of My Favourite Sessions Every Year

I have clients I’ve worked with for years, and one of my favourite things we do is a yearly recap.

And I don’t mean a vague “So… how was your year?” chat.

I mean we sit down and do a structured review of the year that actually happened — and then we prepare the year ahead with real intention.

Because most people don’t fail because they’re incapable. They fail because they don’t track anything.

They live inside the year while it’s happening, reacting to everything, surviving the busy weeks, pushing through the hard months… and then December arrives and they feel like they “did nothing.”

Even when they’ve grown massively.

So the first part of this session is about evidence.

Not motivational quotes. Not “good vibes.” Evidence.

We look at what they actually achieved — big and small.
What they overcame.
What they learned about themselves.
What changed in their relationships.
Where they made a difference.
Where they experienced joy, fun, lightness (because yes, that matters too).

And this is where people get emotional — not because I’m trying to create a moment, but because it’s often the first time all year they’ve stopped long enough to see themselves clearly.

They realise: “I’m not who I was in January.”
They realise: “I did more than I thought.”
Or they realise: “I’ve been repeating the same pattern for three years and I’m done with it.”

That’s the power of a proper review: it turns your year into data. Into learning. Into clarity.

Then we move into the second part: preparing for the year ahead.

And this is where it stops being “New Year motivation” and becomes a plan.

We define what they want to achieve, yes — but we also get real about:

• what challenges they anticipate (because pretending life will be smooth is a fantasy)

• what they need to learn in order to grow

• what habits, boundaries, or behaviours need to change

• what relationships and support systems they need around them

• and what kind of year they actually want to live — not just “produce”

Because if your plan for the year includes only productivity and zero joy, you’re not building a life — you’re building burnout.

And here’s the part people don’t realise: even though we do this session once a year, it’s not a once-a-year thing.

It becomes the reference point for everything we do throughout the year.

We come back to it. We track it. We adjust it. We use it to keep them accountable when motivation disappears and life gets busy — because that’s exactly when people abandon their “resolutions.”

That’s why it’s usually everyone’s favourite session — mine and theirs.

Because it turns “I hope this year is different” into:

“Here’s what I’m doing. Here’s why. Here’s how I’ll measure it. And here’s how I’ll stay on track.”

My Provocative Take for 2026

If you’re writing resolutions this week, fine.
But don’t confuse that with change.

If you want a different year, you need a different approach.

Turn the wish into a plan. Turn the plan into steps. Put the steps in your calendar. And get support if you know you struggle alone.

If you want help turning your 2026 intentions into SMART goals you’ll actually follow through on, I’m opening a few January sessions for goal-setting + strategy (and yes, accountability—because that’s usually the missing piece).

Love and truth,
Emma