What resolutions have you made this year? Better yet, will you keep them? Studies show that most people renounce their resolutions by February, which indicates that we might be making the wrong resolutions altogether. Our goals should be centered around elevating our lifestyle—around principles that lead to a better quality of life, not a greater quantity of things. Put these seven resolutions on your to-do list and watch your life transform for the better in 2025 and beyond:
- Wake up each day with gratitude: Adopting an attitude of gratitude is truly a life-changing behavior. Research shows that expressing increased gratitude supports heart health, improves mood and immunity, and decreases anxiety and depression. There will be times when you’ll feel anything but grateful, but even on those days, try to concentrate on one aspect of your life for which you should be thankful—your child, a friend, a job opportunity, your health, etc. Always keep in mind that there are people on Earth who would give anything to be in your position.
- Invest in yourself: True self-investments don’t entail buying expensive clothes or owning a nice car. They refer to prioritizing your health, eating wholesome foods, getting adequate sleep, moving your body every day, and showing unconditional kindness. Once you get into the habit of giving precedence to your wellbeing, you won’t need to remind yourself to work out; you’ll want to move each day. You won’t need to force yourself to eat nutritious foods; you’ll crave them. Such actions will come naturally. These, and not tangible objects with high price tags, are treasures for which you’ll thank yourself later.
- Scroll less, live more: Social media can be a positive and impactful tool in the right hands, but the majority of us overuse social networks and allow them to distract us from the finer details of life. Whenever you feel like picking up your phone, whether out of boredom or frustration, pick up a journal instead. Write down your thoughts, releasing emotions and jotting down your wishes for the year ahead as well as strategies you can implement to make them a reality. If you don’t enjoy writing, you can practice any other activity that’s mindful, like meditating, breathwork, painting, dancing, or taking a quick walk.
- Practice positive karma: We always have a choice in how we react to everyday provocations: we can choose to keep our karmic slate clean or to burden ourselves with bad energy. Remember that revenge and resentment hurt only you, not the other person. If you practice positive karma throughout 2025, you can reap the greatest of all rewards: inner peace.
- Work towards your heart’s calling: A vocation can be your day-to-day career or a craft you practice on the weekends. Either way, integrate into your life an action for which you feel a strong desire. Working towards your heart’s calling may not always coincide with your job, but satisfying your higher purpose is just as important as making money or gaining recognition. This will ignite a soulful drive and deliver a sense of fulfillment that’s incomparable to anything else.
- Detach from toxic relationships and truly forgive: Toxic relationships and the negative emotions associated with them can harm overall health. If a certain relationship—whether romantic or otherwise—is causing you undue stress, this is your sign to walk away. Detachment can be difficult to do, especially if the relationship is a longstanding one, but taking it day by day will ease the process. Challenge yourself to remain distant for 30 days and you’ll see that, within the frame of one month, your perspective will shift and you’ll start to feel a sense of liberation. After that, forgiveness will grant you absolute freedom from the relationship. If you want to live well in 2025 and beyond, detach and forgive.
- Turn pain into power: Your personal power is a permanent part of the fabric of your existence, and it’s your duty to learn how to harness it. Even when you feel weak or hurt, your power is just beneath the surface of these emotions. The most effective way to turn your pain into power is to accept things for what they are. Accept even the most unpleasant events, understanding that everything happens for a greater reason and is an opportunity to prove your resilience. Then, you can make the best use of available resources to improve your circumstances and ameliorate your situation.
Practice these seven resolutions throughout 2025 and beyond to enrich your life with joy, motivation, and wisdom.
To your best year yet,
Dr. Carmen Harra