Chapter 38: A Different Kind of Resolution

The shift from December to January always stirs something within us. A quiet sense of closure. A flicker of hope. The shortest days begin to stretch out again, and amidst the glow of fairy lights and festive gatherings, we find ourselves naturally reflecting.

The new year arrives wrapped in questions: What do I want? What needs to change? Resolutions emerge, often eagerly—promises to ourselves for better, healthier, happier versions of who we are.

But this year, something feels different. A deeper awareness. A sense that each year isn’t just a new beginning, but a new chapter. Chapter 38 for me. And the realisation that no moment in life can ever happen twice.

Every breath, every decision, every heartbeat—it’s all fleeting. And that fleetingness is powerful. It reminds us to pay attention.

From Habits to Legacy

Reading my article from last January—“Make and Break Habits in 2025: Here We Go Again!”—I still believe in the science of habits. That structure matters. That small steps become identities. But this year, I’m less focused on habits… and more on legacy.

So here’s a question I’ve been sitting with:

If your life were a film, and an audience had been watching you until now, what would they be screaming at the screen?

“Leave that job”
“This relationship is draining you”
“There’s a killer in the cupboard!”

And more seriously—what would your 85-year-old self thank you for doing today?
And what choices are you making that may one day make life harder for them?

We’re wired for resolutions. Yet the statistics are sobering:

• 23% give up by the end of week one
• Nearly half quit by the end of January
• Only 9% stick it out for the full year

Why? Because we tend to add without subtracting.
More gym. More green juice. More goals.
Without making space for rest. Or reflection. Or truth.

The Power of Alignment

And in my work—with clients and within myself—I’ve seen the same thing: change doesn’t last when it’s built on force. It lasts when it’s built on alignment.

Resilience is a muscle, yes. But like a muscle, it fatigues. It’s strongest in the morning… and by evening, after decision fatigue, stress, and self-judgment, we’re more likely to say, “Oh, whatever.”

So this year, I’m not asking you to create a list.
I’m inviting you to zoom out.

Zoom out from the “perfect morning routine”
Zoom out from the 6-week challenge.
Zoom out—and ask yourself: Where is my life going?

What story are you telling with the way you live?

A Stanza to Remember

Recently, I came across this stanza by one of my favourite Polish poets, Wisława Szymborska:

Nothing happens twice,
nor will it ever again.
We are born without practice,
and die without routine.

Even the finest students
in the world’s greatest school
won’t repeat a single winter,
nor a single summer.

No day returns,
no two nights are the same,
no identical kisses,
no identical glances into the eyes.

Let that sink in.

A Softer, Truer Year

This year, may your resolutions not be rules… but reflections of who you truly are becoming.
May your goals not be tasks… but signposts guiding you home.

And my resolutions for this year?

To continue building on the strong foundations of wellbeing I’ve committed to—but with a new softness. To invite more pleasure. A super-healthy meal can still end in a beautiful homemade dessert, especially when it’s shared with people I care about. My weightlifting routine—once a non-negotiable three times a week—will shift to two, making space for more stretching and yoga. Less intensity. More balance.

Rather than constantly chasing courses on self-improvement, I’ll spend that time in connection. As my mum always says, “Every new conversation, every relationship, teaches you invaluable lessons.”

I’ll contribute more back—to the life that, I realise now, has been treating me far better than I ever gave it credit for.

And perhaps most importantly, I’ll practise daily gratitude—for each moment of my life which, as Szymborska so wisely reminds us, can never be repeated.

I’ll choose my life daily—who I am, who I’m becoming, and who I allow into my world.

Here’s to Chapter 38

Let it be brave.
Let it be intentional.
And let it be yours.