New Year’s Resolution vs. Resolve

I've always thought New Year's Eve was a weird way to celebrate resolve.

We drink, party, stay up late, and stand outside in the cold watching a clock tick to midnight. Then we wake up hungover on January 1st and declare we're going to be better starting today.

The celebration and the commitment seem... mismatched.

To each their own. The point isn't how you celebrate.

So what IS the point of New Year's if the date is made up?

Where This Tradition Comes From

Julius Caesar established January 1st as the beginning of the year to honor Janus, a Roman god with two faces.

One face looked backward at the year that passed. One looked forward to the year ahead.

Janus represented transitions, doorways, endings, and beginnings. Caesar chose this moment deliberately: a time to reflect on what was and envision what could be.

That's what the tradition was always meant to be. Not a party. Not a performance. A pause for honest reflection and intentional renewal.

The Romans understood something we've forgotten: meaningful change requires looking both directions before moving forward.

What We've Lost

Somewhere along the way, we turned reflection into resolutions.

We make lists of things we'll do differently: new habits, better behaviors, goals to accomplish.

Then we wonder why 80% of resolutions fail by February.

Here's why: most people make resolutions. Very few develop resolve.

A resolution is a decision you make once, usually based on what you think you should want. It sounds good in the moment. It feels productive to write it down. But it's fragile.

Resolve is a commitment you choose daily, especially when it's hard. When motivation fades. When circumstances change. When the initial enthusiasm wears off.

Being resolute is who you become through maintaining that daily choice. It's not what you decided once. It's who you prove yourself to be, over and over, through consistent action.

The difference isn't just semantics.

What Resolve Requires

You can't build real resolve without reflection.

You can't commit to what matters until you've honestly assessed what doesn't. You can't look forward clearly until you've looked backward truthfully.

This requires time. Space. Mental bandwidth to think instead of just react.

The week between Christmas and New Year's, “The Void,” creates natural space for this time to decompress, unload projects, and step back from the daily chaos. Some people use it instinctively. Most people fill it with more noise.

But whether you use this week or create your own reflective window throughout the year, the practice is the same:

Look back honestly: What worked? What didn't? Where did you drift? Where did you show up? What commitments are you maintaining out of obligation rather than intention?

Look forward clearly: What matters most now? What's worth building? What deserves your daily resolve? What are you willing to choose even when it's hard?

Choose what’s next: Clear what is no longer serving you. Commit to the next step.

This dual-face work is where real change begins. Not in the resolution. In the reflection that creates the foundation for resolve.

What's Worth Resolving To

The following is a list of things I find myself constantly trying to improve, and this year is no different. You've probably seen lists like this before. Maybe you've made these exact resolutions in past years, and for good reason: they are values worth your daily commitment. Let this be the year you commit to what matters most.

• Know where your time goes before trying to manage it better

• Move your body daily, regardless of motivation

• Track your money to see where it flows, then direct it consciously

• Build skills that compound, not just complete tasks that consume hours

• Have conversations that create alignment, not just avoid conflict

• Define your own version of success, not the one you inherited

These aren't resolutions you make once. They're practices you choose daily. They don't require perfect conditions. They require resolve.

Building Your Practice

The New Year's tradition gives us permission to pause and reflect. Use it.

If this time of year is strained, then create your own reflective window throughout the year, quarterly, or monthly as it best suits you. As a teacher, my year starts in August, not January. My resolve to start writing began in April. The tradition matters less than the practice.

Do the dual-face work: Look back honestly at what's not serving you anymore and clear it. Look forward clearly at what you're choosing to build instead and commit to it.

Then show up for that choice consistently. That's what separates resolution from resolve. One is a decision you make once. The other is a commitment you choose daily. One feels good in the moment. The other builds who you become.

The Romans were right: meaningful change happens at doorways. In transitions. In moments when you pause long enough to look both directions before moving forward.

January 1st is one doorway. Every day offers the same choice.

What are you resolving to do, starting today?

This work is meant to be reflective and shared. If you enjoyed it, let me know. I read every response. If you think someone else will enjoy it, please share!

-Ricky