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The new year abounds with new resolutions. Isn’t that something we all do? Vision boards, goal setting, new habits and the good old New Year resolutions. The time of year feels ripe for that. It even seems to be the only moment when many of us are willing to pause our busy lives and reflect, even if briefly, on what we would like our year to look like.
Starting the year with both feet on the ground doesn’t mean shrinking our ambition; it means giving it force with intention. As I revamped my Vision Board workshop into a new format this year, I find myself reflecting on turning vision into action: why some resolutions fail, and what actually works.
A short lifespan for New Year’s resolutions
If I had to pinpoint why I see new habits or resolutions fail, I would put them into 2 buckets.
On the one hand, the new year invites us to dream big and often lose track of what is actually doable in the near term. We create visions and write down bucket lists, but don’t always take the steps required to pursue them.
On the other hand, many of us are quick to follow friends or influencers and jump into doing whatever everybody else is doing (28-day exercise program, low-carb diet, dry-January, reading challenge, you name it). But we have not really thought through why.
In both cases, we either float too far off the ground or we start running without knowing where we are going.
Big dreams, no follow-through
I don’t know about you, but as the year draws to a close, there is a moment when it starts shifting for me. I move from the tightness of wanting just one more day to get stuff done that “I really had to do” to suddenly just craving for a new year to come and get a fresh start.
No matter how some plans may have gone off course in prior years, the beginning of a new season inevitably brings me hope that I can do new things, start again and do things differently.
Rarely do I assume continuity, even in years where I feel I have accomplished a lot.
When a year begins, it is easy to be inspired by big dreams. Friends who usually keep conversations safely in the mundane suddenly talk about what they want to achieve. Conversations that normally revolve around dinners, kids and schools suddenly take on a new meaning.
Maybe it is all the fireworks, or the almost forced break as the family gets together. Or, instead, maybe it is the roller coaster of emotions that getting together with family can mean. Whatever it is, people are willing to just think of something different.
So what goes wrong?
Well, it is not that it goes wrong. It is just that not very much happens.
Once the dreaming is done, most people just go back to the reality of their lives. They hop back on the treadmill and, you know, life happens. Sometimes it happens just as it always has, and other times it is massively disrupted by personal or professional challenges.
But that is not the real reason big goals remain stuck on bucket lists. The real reason is simpler:
Dreams need plans if they are to become anywhere close to reality at all.
Take my own example. My last two vision boards were filled with intentions to write. I have always wanted to be a writer, whatever that means in this day and age. And whilst I write in this blog (and this wish was the original driver for starting it), there has been an urge to do something more. It resurfaces every time I assemble a vision board and collage my intentions.
And yet, when I look at my actual goals, which I thoughtfully develop in my journal yearly, alongside actions and KPIs, there is nothing there. Ok, there is something about writing regularly in my blog, but that is a sub-activity somewhere amidst the noise. As a result, the progress in getting close to my vision of “being a writer” has been extremely limited.
That’s why this year, I have decided that my Vision Board workshop needs to come together with a goal-setting exercise. Not for everything on the board, as that would limit the creative experience, but to the two or three large priorities that emerge.
To get started, I already know that I am going to have a new goal on my list this year. Come back here when I report back on it next year!
Small steps, no vision
The other New Year’s fallacy is that it allows us to start a new habit on a clean slate. It is often the same with Mondays or with new months; January amplifies this feeling. Just look at the gym memberships data.
In reality, January is probably a terrible month for habit building. The weather in the Northern Hemisphere is unforgiving, the days are short and dark, the rain and grey prevail (even if in Lisbon the sun keeps greeting us amongst storms). It’s time to close the year, calculate taxes, pay annual bills and the next holiday is painfully far away.
Who doesn’t struggle to motivate themselves in these conditions?
Like everyone else, I am trying, but I am not deceived by how hard it will be to keep up with my walks or elliptical workouts on the balcony.
On top of the structural challenge that the season presents, each person has an intrinsic challenge that makes all this new habit setting just really hard to accomplish. The confusion between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Look at your Instagram feed, especially as the year gets close to the end, if you have one. If not, feel free to borrow mine for a short period of time:
- Master AI Basics Fast
- Netflix documentaries every woman should watch
- What to feed your young athlete the night before camp
- How to organise your team with AI power
- The 12 work habits that will completely change how you work in 2026
- 30 Soft Boundaries for Work
- The AI course chosen by 30k business leaders
- Looking for women over 40 to engage in our 28-day challenge
- 5 work habits you’ll regret not starting in 2026
Do you get the gist? Everyone is trying to sell us a new habit and new learnings to add to our lives.
What is the point?
I am not saying any of the habits above are bad. I am learning about AI, and I am adjusting my work habits. And well, do I need boundaries!
But I don’t adopt any of these habits unless they clearly support one of my goals.
Despite the urge to just click on the “Learn more” button under each image of a successful person, the reality is, these stories are anecdotal evidence of what worked for a specific group of people under a specific set of circumstances.
As I recently had the chance to share with students in my Critical Thinking Course, this is not data. What we don’t see are all the people who tried these habits and saw no meaningful change, or couldn’t sustain them at all.
So when looking at all the ads that are getting pushed to you, note down which ones you would consider, but don’t adopt any until you actually make a stop and identify:
What is it that I want my year to look like?
With this North Star in place, you can define a small number of high-level goals. Chances are, you may still choose to use some of the tools from your Instagram or TikTok feed.
Why does this make a difference? By choosing to associate yourself with habits that are aligned with your vision or goals, chances are you will be able to keep it going for longer.
When the going gets tough, and you want to stay in bed rather than doing those morning pages (self-included), you need to remember that you are doing it not because of that influencer you saw, but rather because you have chosen to do so in alignment with the changes you want to see happening in your life.
When I got myself to the elliptical this morning, I did NOT want to go. But I remembered my goal of being healthy and the emotions I want to feel associated with it – I want to be that person who exercises and stays fit, for my longevity and my overall wellbeing. So I grabbed an extra jacket and off I went.
It is not bulletproof, but having the North Star fits its purpose just like on a boat. You may sometimes find yourself in the middle of a storm, but the star will help remind you to correct your course when the dust (or sea) settles.
The beginning of the year can be a great time to build new habits. But not because it is January. It is a great time if you take the opportunity to reflect on your year and set intentions personally, professionally, and for fun.
It is one of my favourite themes to facilitate, individually or in teams, because it has a major impact on how a year unfolds.