Creating ‘new year’s resolutions’ has become almost a guidepost in our culture of what you have to do to reach your goals or be successful. And sure, I get it… It’s tempting to fall into the ‘new year, new you’ energy and try to instill significant changes in your life at the turn of the new year. But many of us don’t actually enjoy this approach or find it effective for us, but we feel like we have to set these resolutions to be successful. The problem isn’t the idea of setting a goal… in fact, I think having aligned goals is essential! But the New Year’s resolution method has got to go… why? Let’s dive in.
From Pressure Cooker to A Month of Intention
When we force this process, January becomes more like a pressure cooker than a month to set the tone for an aligned, peaceful, and abundant year. Many of us have been conditioned to feel like January is the beginning, a time we need to ‘start strong’ and set the tone for the year ahead by hustling, dieting, and restricting ourselves. But the reality is that this is a more modern connotation of the new year, one that revolves around a Gregorian calendar.
According to the astrological calendar, the new year is actually the spring equinox. If you think about this, it makes alot of sense. When society was predominantly farmers and gatherers, winter was a slower season, while spring was really when things got started, as crops were planted and seeds were sown.
Instead of putting pressure on yourself to bounce right into the new year with fresh energy, allow yourself to ease in and honour the reality of the season (especially if you live in a cold climate!), trusting that your energy and motivation will grow as spring approaches.
7 Reasons Why Most Resolutions “Fail.”
Ok, ‘fail’ is a very harsh word, especially in my vocabulary, as I don’t encourage us to think of anything as a failure. But here’s why your resolutions may not stick…
- You’re setting them based on what you think you should want or do, rather than what you want to do.
- You’re not treating it as fluid and flexible – typically, a resolution feels like an all-or-nothing thing, where if you miss a day or two, you feel like you have to throw the whole thing out the window.
- You’re not accounting for your actual energetic capacity and reality, but instead based on the conditioned ‘ideal’ of having a full cup of energy each day (which isn’t the reality for many people… I’ll explain why in a moment!)
- The resolution isn’t tied into something deeply meaningful for you.
- You’re expecting yourself to jump right into it at the beginning of January, when in reality, this is an energetically low time of the year.
- You’re relying on willpower to meet the resolution (when in reality, about 70% of the population does not have consistent access to willpower… more on that in a moment!)
- Your resolution is focused solely on an outcome rather than a feeling of alignment.
A New Approach: The Human Design Lens
Approaching your ‘new year’s resolutions’ or intentions from a human design lens is much more effective because it:
- It looks at your energetic capacity and gifts so you can set goals that align with who you really are and how you function.
- Takes into account your individual strengths. For example, do you have a defined or undefined heart centre? If you have an undefined heart like 70% of the population, that means you don’t actually have consistent access to willpower. Relying on willpower alone to motivate you is setting yourself up for ‘failure’ or disappointment. I help my clients with undefined hearts set goals in a way that works with your inconsistent energy in this area, and harnesses your other gifts and talents.
- Supports the way you specifically will feel momentum and progress.
Not sure what your human design is? Dive in with this free guidebook!
Replacing Resolution with Rhythm: Anchoring in Your Human Design
For Projectors:
- Focus on intentional action, conserving your precious energy for what aligns with you and makes you feel seen and recognized for your expertise.
- Cultivate your visibility to naturally attract invitations to share your gifts.
- Refine your systems to better support you and your energy dips – For example: having passive sales funnels if you’re a Projector entrepreneur = extremely supportive. Systems can also take the form of a structured meal plan that frees up valuable energy.
Read more about what it really means to be a Projector
For Generators:
- Do an ‘energy audit’ – consider what tasks on your plate actively energize you and which drain you. Is there someone you could pass the baton to for the draining tasks? How can you do more of the things that energize you?
- Hone in on your methodical nature by creating clear checklists or systems for you to follow.
- Start a habit-tracker to hold you accountable to your new habits (if you have a defined heart centre – if you have an undefined heart, you will likely need more flexibility in how you manage your habits)
Read more about what it really means to be a Generator
For Manifesting-Generators:
- Allow yourself to experiment with bouncing between the various things you’re passionate about in a given day, expanding what your mind believes about ‘progress’ or momentum
- Don’t force yourself to follow linear processes that feel unaligned – you’re meant to do things differently, challenging the norm
- Consider where you need more space for your interests or more pivots – are there things on your plate draining you? Do they need to be there?
Read more about what it really means to be a Manifesting-Generator
For Manifestors:
- Consider how you can create more space on your calendar to honour your unique creative urge/ rest cycle.
- Do an informing audit: who are you powerful at communicating with? Who in your work life do you need to be better at informing?
- Consider how you can better honour your big-picture gifts and get out of the detailed task-type work. For example, if you’re an entrepreneur who is a Manifestor, having a VA who is a Generator could be radically supportive.
Read more about what it really means to be a Manifestor
For Reflectors:
- Do an environment audit: which environments make you feel most relaxed and at ease? Which environments create the opposite feeling? How can you spend more time in the former?
- Don’t force yourself to make decisions on the spot or from the wrong place – prioritize being relaxed when you make the decision
- Cultivate sustainable practices like monthly check-ins or full moon rituals that give you ‘check points’ to consider how you’re feeling about any big decisions on your docket
Read more about what it really means to be a Reflector
Make Tools & Strategies Suit You… Not the other way Around!
This is the beautiful part of human design: it allows you to create personalized strategies and approaches that work for you rather than forcing yourself to do something that isn’t actually in alignment with your actual energetic gifts and capacity. If you want clarity on how to shape your year in a way that honours your energy, your chart has answers. Book a 1-1 reading or dive into this free guidebook to get started!
Other Articles You’ll Love
How I Make Creativity Feel Easy Again
Burnout 101: For Creative Entrepreneurs
Navigating Burnout (Using Human Design)
Your Human Design Roadmap: How to Actually Use It to Create a Life You Love
