Three Ways to Have a Happy New Year: A Guide to New Year’s Resolutions

Three … Two … One … Happy New Year! Picture yourself sipping some sparkling cider out of a familiar glass, staring at a glittering Times Square on your TV and brainstorming some ideas for your next set of New Year’s resolutions. You’re feeling hopeful for the new year and determined to make this year better than the last.  

Then, a week later, you stop that new healthy habit, re-start the unhealthy habit and spend your entire paycheck in a frenzied online shopping spree — we’ve all been there. 

Keeping New Year’s resolutions is harder than making them. According to Richard Batts Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, only 9% of Americans make and uphold their New Year’s resolutions throughout the year. 

If one of your resolutions for 2025 is to “start sticking to my New Year’s resolutions,” then keep reading for three tips to help create and keep your New Year’s resolutions. 

First, make realistic goals. Let’s face it, none of us can stay consistent with a resolution like “Don’t eat sugar for a year.” It would be challenging and almost impossible to fully avoid consuming sugar for that long. 

If one of your resolutions is to focus on your health, start with simple, small changes that leave a healthy impact on your everyday life. For example, you could start by checking the nutrition labels of groceries before you buy them, and then choose the items with the cleanest ingredients. This is a small, yet realistic change that may kickstart your goal of a healthier lifestyle. 

Second, focus on creating new habits with the ones you already have.  If one of your resolutions is to read your Bible more often, incorporate your new habit right after performing a preexisting one, such as reading a verse of Scripture after your morning cup of coffee. 

According to the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, “By linking your new habits to a cycle that is already built into your brain, you make it more likely that you’ll stick to the new behavior.”  

Third, don’t do it alone. Accountability goes a long way in helping us achieve our goals. Batts cited research that shows accountability can double the success rate of sticking to new goals. Let people in on what you hope to accomplish and allow them to cheer you on.  

You can also invite others to join in on your goals to support each other as you embrace new goals and resolutions for the new year together.  

As Christians we should always keep the Lord at the forefront of everything, especially the goals we set.  Our lives will never be perfect, but Jesus will always be. Following the advice above, I suggest Christians to consider setting a resolution to incorporate pursuing Christ in our daily lives. A realistic way to start is to plan to read a verse or a chapter of Scripture daily, or set aside five minutes to pray. Then, find a habit you already have to attach this to, like your morning cup of coffee or walking to an early-morning class. Finally, create accountability by letting your friends, roommate or someone else you trust know about your goal, and maybe you can work toward pursuing the Lord together in fellowship. 

Schoonover is an arts and culture reporter for the Liberty Champion.