Do You Really Need New Goals for the New Year?

Setting new goals for the new year is a tradition as old as time. Somehow, many of us get the urge to become better people as the year rounds up, resulting in New Year’s resolutions that, while well-intentioned, are unrealistic and generic. Do you really need to refresh your goals annually? Does ringing in the new year goal-less make you a lazy, unmotivated person? Here, we explore the pros and cons.

Setting new goals for the new year cannot be a bad thing, right? Well, it depends on your intentions. Aiming for self-improvement is always good, but the hustle can be detrimental to your growth if it’s driven by ego or societal pressures. Authenticity matters because it allows you to assess your current situation honestly and make realistic, practical, and specific targets.

For example, one popular goal these days is to lose weight, which can’t be healthy or even possible if your fitspos are celebrities who’ve undergone surgery or taken Ozempic. You want to measure your targets against your needs and capabilities. Sure, you’re a bit heavier now, but have you also been lifting heavier and, therefore, feel stronger? How much time and money can you devote to your weight loss goals next year? Do you have a more specific number in mind so you can plan clear next steps? 

More importantly, ask yourself: If I only have the bandwidth for one big goal this year, is this the one I want to work on? These days, it’s unrealistic to set 12 big resolutions (In this economy, who has the time?). So, be picky when choosing new goals for the new year – as picky as you are with your coffee order or foundation shade.

A 2023 survey by Forbes Health and One Poll found that while fitness remains a top priority for most people (46% of respondents), improving finances (38%) and mental health (36% were clear runners-up. Each one is a huge mountain to overcome, so it’s worth checking which one would add real value to your life right now.

In the same manner, review your roster of bodycare products. Are they helping you achieve your glow-up goals? If you’re using soap that’s drying your skin, switch to Dove Go Fresh Sakura Blossom Body Wash, which delivers 24 hours of freshness and moisturization in a gentle, fragrant formula. Next, try swapping your old deodorant for a mild, alcohol- and aluminum-free formula like Dove 0% Aluminum Peach & Lemon Verbena Deodorant Roll-On. It keeps your underarms soft and smooth while leaving an invigorating fruity scent.

The pressure to make New Year’s resolutions is so immense (based on the above survey, 64% of women agree). You can blame it on the “fresh start effect,” a phenomenon that describes how temporal landmarks – moments that present a clear break between the past and future or stand out in time – motivate aspirational behavior.

Birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, break-ups, and new year’s eve are examples of moments that spark the need for change, and psychologists recommend using them to your advantage. But as with everything else in life, context and balance are important. Maybe these landmark events do inspire you to aim higher, but are you actually doing the work, or are you just collecting goals like Pokémon? Those babies won’t evolve by themselves, and neither will your targets.

In fact, another study reveals that leaving things unfinished can affect mental well-being and drive negatively, known as the Zeigarnik effect. This claims that people remember things they didn’t do more than the things they did. So, instead of making new goals this year, try revisiting last year’s targets. Back then, what was your idea of changing for the better? Make an honest inventory of the resolutions you have made and check which ones are worth revisiting and which ones to retire.

With all that said, setting new goals for the new year is your choice. Only you can gauge your level of motivation and endurance, so make sure that these targets align with the future you want. If they’re not, bid them adieu and never look back.