100+ New Year Resolution Ideas for Happiness and Health

I set the same new year resolution for 5+ years in a row. I was going to lose 10 lbs no matter how much I weighed at the time. And then, of course, I’d never manage to meet this goal because I wasn’t invested in it in the first place. Is this you too? If so, I want to help you come up with some new, more meaningful new year resolution ideas this year.

Many of us have heard of SMART goals at work, but how often do you apply these same lessons to the goals you set in your personal life? I’m betting that if you aren’t sitting down and planning out a goal that’s SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timebound) then you’re really setting wishes not goals.

In fact, I chat all about the keys to meaningful and effective goal setting on the podcast this week with Jaclyn Mellone. You can listen in here.

Or maybe you’d prefer some inspiration? I share lots of new year resolution ideas below that you’re welcome to beg borrow or steal.

The Best Way to Come up with New Year Resolution Ideas that are Meaningful

In the podcast episode, Jaclyn and I focused on getting super clear on what you actually want instead of getting caught up in the “shoulds” that you’ve taken on from your family, neighbor, upbringing, or subconscious. This is a super important first step because if you’re going to have a meaningful goal, you have to actually be attached to and invested in its outcome. Better yet, you have to want the result that you’re working toward.

How can you do this? One major way is through a practice of visualization. Basically, you’re going to envision yourself at the end of next year. Picture how you want to feel, what you’re doing on a daily basis, what you look like, and how you move about the world. What is a goal or resolution that would get you closer to that vision? Great! Now you’re one step closer to finding something that’s actually meaningful.

From that visualization, it’s now time to pick a goal (the one big thing) and the actions that it will take to get there (all the little things). When you’re working on this, you’ll want to consider:

What you’d need to start doing AND what you’d need to stop doing in order to become that version of yourself that you envisioned. If being more fit was part of your vision you may need to start going to the gym more often and stop watching so much Netflix. If the health of your budget is a concern, you may need to start making coffee and home and stop buying your daily Starbucks. So often we focus on what we need to ADD, but that misses a huge piece of the puzzle that most of us don’t have any more time or energy to put toward MORE things.
What habits will you need to build in order to support this goal? If you’re interested in learning more about building new habits, I’m fascinated by this concept of habit stacking and how it could help us build new habits off of our already existing ones.

Now, finally, it’s time to pick a WORD to encompass your year. This is a little different from your resolution (goal) because it may be a bit broader and less results based. Think of this as your North Star for whether your actions and habits throughout the year are in alignment with how you want to feel and what you want to do.

Want help in documenting your goals? Check out this video and download the Resolution Planning worksheet.