Instead of a long list of resolutions, choose a concept — like ‘courage’ or ‘focus’ — to guide you through 2025 and influence your daily decisions
Do you have an ambitious list of resolutions, or are you skipping the ‘new year, new you’ craze?
According to YouGov, 42% of adults who made new-year’s resolutions in 2023 focused on health and fitness, and yet research tells us that most resolutions are abandoned before the year’s end.
Resolutions can overwhelm, demand perfection, and feed the idea that we need to be fixed. We take on too much at once, leaving ourselves discouraged and burnt out.
What if, instead of piling on more pressure, we take a simpler approach by choosing a guiding theme or word to shape the year ahead?
Achieving a goal or resolution often requires a meaningful behavioural shift, and understanding how lasting change happens is essential.
Behavioural science teaches us that transformation isn’t just about willpower or lofty goals: It’s about embracing a structured process.
Psychologists James Prochaska and Carlo DiClemente, who developed the Stages of Change Model, highlight that change is cyclical, not linear.
Their five stages — pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance — demonstrate how change typically unfolds. As we progress through these stages, we deepen our commitment, refine our focus, and strengthen our willpower.
Roy Baumeister, a psychologist renowned for his research on willpower, found that this psychological resource operates like a muscle, which can become depleted with overuse.
His studies suggest that juggling multiple goals can drain our willpower, leading to fatigue, burnout, and, ultimately, disengagement from our objectives. This may partly explain why 90% of resolutions fail.
The concept of one guiding word for the year was introduced in the book One Word That Will Change Your Life, published in 2012 by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page.
These authors, all seasoned leadership, performance, and personal development professionals, advocate for a simpler approach to self-improvement.
Rather than setting multiple resolutions, they propose focusing on one word that serves as a central theme for the year.
This word becomes a guiding principle, helping to shape decisions, actions, and attitudes. The authors emphasise that the goal isn’t about achieving a specific outcome, but about creating a mindset shift.
This focus on one word is particularly powerful, because it encourages individuals to simplify their approach and align their actions with their values and intentions.
Research on goal setting, such as Locke and Latham’s Goal-Setting Theory, suggests that simplicity and focus lead to higher chances of success, instead of spreading efforts thin across multiple goals.
Several successful individuals have shared how they’ve used this one-word approach to guide their personal and professional lives.
Oprah Winfrey, for example, has often embraced the concept of choosing a word to guide her year.
Previously, she chose words like ‘purpose’ to ensure her actions aligned with her values.
Marie Forleo, an entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker, chose words like ‘simplify’ to help cut through the clutter and to focus on what matters most in her business.
Last year, I chose the word ‘consistency’. After months of starting and stopping various projects, I realised that my biggest barrier to progress was my lack of consistent effort.
I kept setting resolutions — eat better, exercise more, improve my business, and read more books — but none of these goals stuck because I wasn’t consistent in my efforts. I was in a state of overwhelm.
By focusing on consistency, I began to show up every day, even in small ways, thinking less about specific goals and more about what consistency looked and felt like.
I committed to attending a meditation class each morning, making it non-negotiable. This daily practice helped shift my behaviour and decision-making, aligning my actions with more consistent effort.
The impact was profound: I achieved more by letting go of a long list of goals by focusing on just one word.
How to choose your word
Here’s a simple way to discover your word for 2025:
Reflect: Pause and consider what you need most in your life right now. Focus on areas like health, relationships, or growth.
Tune in: Trust your intuition and let your word emerge naturally through reflection or journaling.
Seek guidance: Use quiet moments, meditation, or prayer to connect with what feels meaningful.
Choose: Pick a word that resonates deeply and aligns with your values, like ‘balance’, ‘courage,’ or ‘focus’.
Live it: Keep your word visible and let it guide your daily decisions and mindset.
The beauty of one word lies in its simplicity. Unlike resolutions, which can be rigid and lose appeal as the year progresses, one word serves as a dynamic guide. It evolves with you and keeps you aligned with your deeper intentions.
Whether you’re facing challenges or celebrating successes, your guiding word offers a consistent source of inspiration and direction. As 2025 unfolds, why not choose one word that encapsulates your vision for the year?
