New Year Resolution* *PART 1 –*

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Why Resolutions Are Good, But Rarely Last

The Hidden Secret of Making a Sankalp Work

December has begun.

The last month of 2025.

A familiar season starts again –

New Year Resolutions.

“From next year, I will definitely…

… exercise every day”

… give up sugar completely”

… spend less time on my phone”

… do a new course and change my career.”

For the first few days, the excitement is sky high.

Gyms are full in January.

New planners and markers come out.

WhatsApp status says: “New Year, New Me.”

And then slowly…

The cold, work pressure, tiredness, a little laziness,

one or two missed days…

and the resolution quietly disappears.

By February, most New Year Resolutions

have turned into an old joke.

So the big question is:

If our resolutions are so sincere,

why don’t they last?

Are we so weak?

The real reasons are deeper – and different.

*1) Huge Resolution, Tiny Daily Footstep*

How do we usually make resolutions?

We jump straight to the final, big outcome:

• “I will lose 20 kilos this year.”

• “I will write my entire book this year.”

• “I will save this much money every month.”

There is nothing wrong with thinking big.

Big dreams are inspirational.

But the problem is:

they are as huge as a mountain.

We stand at the base of that mountain

and keep staring only at the summit.

We don’t stop to ask,

“What is my next small step?”

Big goal + no clear next step

= confusion and paralysis.

Within a few days, the mind begins to whisper:

“This is too big for you.

Forget it.”

And the resolution quietly dies.

*2) “One Mistake = I Am Finished” – The Most Dangerous Trap*

For most of us, resolutions are an all-or-nothing game:

• Miss one day of exercise –

“Now what’s the point?”

• Overeat for two days –

“Diet is ruined anyway.”

• Didn’t write anything for one week –

“I am not a writer.”

We equate a small failure

with total failure of the resolution.

Missing one day

is not the end of the resolution.

It is just a lesson.

But we start blaming ourselves so harshly

that guilt, regret and self-disgust

begin to pile up.

Gradually, our emotional connection

with the resolution breaks.

It stops being a source of inspiration,

and becomes a burden.

*3) “Resolution Is There, But What Do I Do Today?” – No Process*

Resolution:

“This year I will lose weight.”

But…

• What exactly will I do every day?

• How many minutes will I walk?

• What will I change at home?

• How will I control outside food?

• What will I do on holidays?

That daily “what exactly” is called a process.

We decide what we want –

“I want to lose weight, write a book, save money…”

but we don’t define how.

In simple words:

We are very clear about the what,

and very vague about the how.

From vagueness comes confusion.

From confusion comes procrastination –

“I’ll sort it out later.”

And from procrastination

the resolution slowly fades away.

*4) The Habit of Postponing Happiness*

When we make resolutions,

we silently create an equation:

• “When I lose 20 kilos, then I’ll be happy.”

• “When my book is published, then I’ll feel good about myself.”

Which means – as long as the result hasn’t come,

we refuse to see ourselves as “enough”.

For months, sometimes years,

we live with a background feeling of

“I’m not there yet… I’m still not good enough.”

When the journey = only struggle,

and happiness = only on the last day,

how long do you think the mind will cooperate?

The mind loves staying

where it can feel small wins and appreciation.

Resolutions fail

because we give all the credit for happiness

to the final outcome

and keep none for today’s effort.

*5) A Brief Look at Michelangelo – And Our Lesson*

Here a beautiful example helps – Michelangelo.

Michelangelo (1475–1564)

was a legendary sculptor and painter

from Renaissance Italy.

He was given a terrifyingly huge task –

to paint the entire ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome,

around 12,000 square feet,

with scenes from Genesis.

He didn’t do this in one sweep.

He used the fresco technique –

each day, a fresh layer of wet plaster was applied

and he had to complete only that portion

before it dried.

That small portion of plaster

was called a “giornata” –

literally, “a day’s work”.

His focus was never,

“When will I finish the whole ceiling?”

His only question was:

“What is today’s giornata?

Which small scene will I do beautifully today?”

For our resolutions,

this is the key lesson:

Instead of only big goals,

we need today’s clear, small action

– our own giornata.

*6) Your “Giornata” – Today’s Resolution*

You don’t have to give up big resolutions.

You just need to translate them

into small, daily actions.

Example A – Health

• Resolution: “I want to lose 15 kilos by 2026.”

• Today’s giornata:

• Walk at least 20 minutes today.

• Skip the sugary soft drink today.

• Finish dinner 15 minutes earlier tonight.

“15 kilos” is heavy for the brain.

“Walk 20 minutes today” is light and doable.

Example B – Writing

• Resolution: “This year I will write my first book.”

• Today’s giornata:

• Write just 300–500 words today.

• Even if you don’t like it,

keep it as “draft”.

• Put your phone away for 30 minutes

and sit only with your writing screen.

“The whole book” intimidates the brain.

“Just today’s 30 minutes”

is something your brain can handle.

Example C – Money Discipline

• Resolution: “This year I will bring financial discipline.”

• Today’s giornata:

• Make a list of this month’s expenses.

• Or read for 10 minutes about what an SIP is.

“Financial discipline” is a big, vague phrase.

“Today I will take just one small step”

is practical and concrete.

*7) Simple Principles to Make Resolutions Stick*

1. Resolve for the process, not just the result

• Instead of “I will lose weight”,

say “I will walk 30 minutes daily.”

• The result becomes a bonus.

2. Avoid giant jumps – choose tiny steps

• If 1 hour of meditation is too much,

begin with 5 minutes.

• 5 minutes consistently is far more valuable

than 1 hour done for three days and then dropped.

3. One bad day does NOT mean “I am bad”

• Make a rule:

“A miss can happen – but never two days in a row.”

• Then every missed day becomes

a trigger to reset, not to quit.

4. Celebrate small wins

• Put a ✅ on the calendar after you walk.

• When you skip junk food,

tell yourself sincerely,

“Today I kept my word to myself.”

5. Resolutions should be an act of self-love, not punishment

• “I am useless, so I must change”

– resolutions born from this energy

rarely last.

• “I care about my life,

so I will upgrade my habits”

– resolutions from this space

tend to be sustainable.

*8) Conclusion – Don’t Try to Win the Year, Win Today*

The year is ending.

Calendar pages will change,

but your life doesn’t change

in a single stroke at midnight.

Life changes slowly, quietly

through your daily giornatas:

• today’s honest walk,

• today’s small paragraph,

• today’s little saving,

• today’s 5 minutes of conscious breathing.

These are the brushstrokes

that paint your own “Sistine Chapel” over time.

So this time,

when you sit to make resolutions,

just decide:

Big resolution, small daily action.

My real goal is not to “win the year”,

but to win today.

Tomorrow will be taken care of tomorrow.

Today, let us just complete

our today’s giornata with sincerity. 🌱✨