Have you given up on making new year resolutions? Mark the new year in a new way

Have most of us, by now, given up on Resolutions to mark the New Year? New beginnings are exciting and full of possibilities and coming up with a New Year’s resolution can mark the day. But…

Instead of making a resolution that I’ll likely forget or abandon, this year, I would like to celebrate the hope that’s implied in starting something new by doing something a bit differently. Here are some ideas that could be fun to try.

1. Choose a theme. What would you like to focus on in 2026? If nature (or music or art or literature) were your theme for the year, how would that change next year?

If my theme was literature, I would definitely want to read more books than I did this year and maybe I would focus on literature from a particular country. (South Korea?) What would your theme be?

2. Reflect on the past year. What did you like? Is there anything you would like more of? Maybe schedule moments like those in your calendar throughout the coming year.
3. Gratitude. If gratitude were to be my theme for the coming year, how would I approach 2026? They say that gratitude is correlated with well-being and happiness. Maybe I would regularly write three things I am grateful for in a gratitude journal and revisit them from time to time to remember and appreciate the lovely things that exist in my life.

Resolutions are often made with the idea that we’d like to change or correct a character flaw. But we will always have those. What if, instead of trying to change ourselves, we mark the new year in a new way? What would we ask of ourselves if that was our intention for the new year?

Whether you make a resolution, set an intention, choose a theme, or reflect with gratitude, may your new year be filled with growth and joy.

By Barbara Bernstein, Viva Village Volunteer Coordinator