Take action before the year runs out.

A reminder that resolutions/goals need effort not just excitement..

Every new year arrives with a familiar feeling: hope. Fresh pages. Clean slates. Endless possibilities. And like many people, I welcomed the year with a long list of resolutions, written carefully, enthusiastically, and with so much belief.

But at the end of the year, I found myself reflecting. Thinking deeply. Asking honest questions.

The truth is: last year tested me.

I remember scripting resolutions on paper, convinced that writing them down was the hardest part. I believed clarity alone would carry me. But as the months passed, I watched many of those goals remain exactly where I left them, ON PAPER.

What’s even more interesting is this: some of my biggest achievements last year were never part of my original resolutions. And yet, despite those wins, I couldn’t shake the disappointment of not achieving even half of what I planned.

Somewhere along the line, a lesson became clear.

Resolutions are meant to be kept, not just written.

Writing a goal is not the same as working toward it. Plans don’t magically execute themselves because they were beautifully worded or emotionally charged. They require effort. Consistency. Intention.

Take me, for example.

One of my biggest resolutions was to become a spoken word artiste before 2025 ended. I loved spoken word. I admired people who did it so effortlessly. I was inspired, so I wrote it down boldly:

“I am going to be a spoken word artiste by the end of the year.”

Sadly, that was as far as it went.

I didn’t learn the craft. I didn’t study those already doing well. I didn’t practice. I didn’t even take the first bold step. Looking back now, I realize that I was more thrilled by the idea of starting than by the work it would require. Maybe anxiety played a role. Maybe fear. But the truth remains that I didn’t intentionally work toward it and I regret that.

I know I’m not alone.

Many of us take time to write lists of things we want to achieve, but we rarely take the steps required to see them come alive. It’s easier said than done. I’ve lived it.

I remember another resolution I made at the start of 2025, it was to learn a new skill. I carried that thought with me for months, thinking, planning, overthinking until October arrived. By then, the year was almost over.

Eventually, I registered for a free online course in graphic design. The course lasted just eight weeks, but it changed something in me. I learned the basics. I showed up. I finished. And for the first time in a long while, I checked something off my resolution list. It was late, yes. Procrastination delayed me. But I’m grateful I didn’t let the opportunity slip away entirely.

Every year, I faithfully write my goals with excitement. That has never been my problem. My challenge has always been this: taking the steps.

I have to ask. Is it just me?

This year, however, I am choosing to be different. I am changing the narrative.

I’m not just creating checklists for the thrill of it. I’m committing to action. I’m starting early. I’m showing up even when motivation fades.

So I ask you:

Do you have resolutions for the year, like me? What are you doing differently about achieving your goals this time?

Click the button below to share your thoughts.

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The takeaway

Don’t relent. Don’t procrastinate. Start now.

Because dreams don’t work unless you do.

And maybe that’s the truth many of us don’t like to sit with.

We romanticize the beginning. We love the aesthetics of beautifully written goals, vision boards, and hopeful declarations. But belief without action fades quickly. Excitement without discipline expires. The hard part has never been dreaming or planning. The hard part has always been taking steps when the excitement wears off but you can do it, if you put your mind to it.

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This year, I am giving myself permission to do better. I no longer want to look back at the end of the year wondering what could have been if only I had taken the necessary steps.

So this is my promise to myself and maybe to you too:

I will do the work. Even when it’s uncomfortable. Even when it’s slow. Even when fear shows up. I will take the steps. I will not only dream, I will take action.

And if you’re reading this and you’ve been stuck in the same cycle, writing goals, postponing action, waiting for motivation, this is your reminder to start. Change the narrative. Take that step. Do!

We still have time.

Let’s make this year different, shall we?

Happy New Year once more!