The new year is the ideal transition to cast visions and say . . . maybe this year. 

This year I will keep up with my gym membership. 

This year I’ll start eating whole foods wholeheartedly. 

This year I’ll organize that closet of doom, and it will forever be tidy. (Insert chortle.)

But does all this manifesting produce change?

Last year I set out to complete a new manuscript. I have several book babies that will never see the light of day (at least in their current, baby acne phase), but none that are dressed for a big girl job interview. I was full of confidence that 2025 was the year to get ‘er done. Do the thang. Prove to myself that I could produce a publishable manuscript.

The year to prove that I was a writer. 

And guess what?

I failed. 

I wrote 2/3rds of a manuscript, life threw me some curveballs, and I got stuck in a cycle of rewriting and questioning the incomplete project in my hands. I wrote some short stories but couldn’t seem to tackle the big ‘ol manuscript while the kids were home over the summer. In September, I hopped back into the writing saddle, but it took time to settle into a trot. I entered a contest and got some hard-to-swallow feedback. 

But you know what? I got a heck of a lot closer to my goal. 

I wrote 70,000 words of a novel when the year before I was only writing sporadically without a plan.

I was vulnerable and heard the sugar-free truth to become a better writer. 

And even if I didn’t finish the thang, one of my goals was true:

I was a writer.

I am a writer.

So no, I don’t believe New Year’s resolutions set us up for failure. They give us a destination. Even if we don’t make it to the finish line, we will absolutely be closer.

There’s some great psychology to help us shape our perspectives on New Year’s goals. Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck performed a study that looked at “growth mindset” versus “fixed mindset.” With a fixed mindset, you view your skills as static. You are or you aren’t. You can do something, or you can’t. 

But then, there’s the growth mindset. This viewpoint sees the opportunity for development and believes in progression and improvement. A person with a growth mindset accepts that developing skills takes time and puts in the work to actualize the development of those skills. With this perspective, you accept failure and setbacks as part of the trajectory, and you continue to set goals in pursuit of your ultimate goal.

This mindset reminds me of a great quote from Paul the Apostle, a man who is infamous for all that he accomplished for the sake of the Gospel, but whose life was rife with challenges, setbacks, and perceived failures:

“Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

All that work isn’t wasted. Not if our hearts are set on using our gifts to glorify God in his Creation. We can abound without expecting perfect results. We can be steadfast in our efforts and accept that missteps are part of the process. 

Progression over perfection.

So who would you rather be? The person who sits in self defeat who never takes a risk, or the person who views herself as an ever-changing, multi-faceted creation with the aptitude for flexing new skills?

Let’s grow. Let’s be undaunted by failure. Fully set on the prize, like Paul says. 

So I’m right there with you, making resolutions, buying the crisp new planner to map out my dreams, charting scenes and making a plan to complete a better draft of my novel in 2026, and Lord willing, be ready to submit to agents toward the end of the year.

What are your goals for 2026? 

I’d love to hear in the comments to cheer you on!