Beyond Resolutions: A New Approach to Lasting Change in 2025

Let’s make this year’s resolutions a little different. Let’s make them last!!

January is renowned for being a month of planning for many people in many aspects of their lives – be that through new year’s resolutions, annual planning cycles at work, kicking off new intentions like training for a marathon and many things in between. So if you’re doing this in any aspect, I thought I’d share, as a repeated January planner, some of the tips and tricks to maximising your likelihood of achieving what you set out to.

The need for this is evident if you look at any research about new year resolutions. The average person sets the same resolution 10 years in a row and abandons it within 15 weeks (i.e. by mid-April), according to national surveys by the American Psychological Association. For the estimated 8 percent who do find success, it takes an average of six tries—as in, six years! I’m a little too impatient for that sort of timescale, I like a higher success rate and a faster manifestation rate too.

What I have found to be the most essential part is that you focus on the outcome not the how. I know there are quotes galore that talk about the journey not the outcome being of the greatest value, and that’s true but the only way to enjoy the journey is to have clarity of outcome

“Expect good things to happen, but just be open to the form in which they show up” – Eckhart Tolle

The more you focus on the outcome the more options you have on how to reach it. If you get too specific on the how, then 1 blocker and you tend to stop. This is the principle of the law of attraction and many other planning and manifestation approaches including the one use at work – agile!

Not being wed to the how something is achieved, or even in some case how it looks, can really open up the options and gives you the flexibility to keep adapting to the ever changing circumstances that are life. You need that to not be derailed when the going gets tough!

I have been setting goals for all areas of my life for several years now and even in 2020 and 2021 when life was turned upside down, I achieved the majority of them. I may have had a view when the year started on the how I was going to achieve things which wasn’t available given the restrictions etc, but achieve them I did.

I am passionate about making sure we’re living – all aspects of life – every day – and so I thought this January I’d share an approach I use with you, to use if you so wish.

To me, life is all about harmony – there are many facets to life and we need to ensure that we are developing and evolving across all of them, so I do my goals against the 7 areas of life. For that I use a model purported by Dr John DeMartini. In this video he explains them (you can just watch the first 2 minutes to hear the list)

To recap (or if you haven’t got time to watch the video), DeMartini’s 7 are:

I translate these, for the purposes of this goal exercise into:

• Spiritual mission – How will i support the pursuit of getting clarity on who i am and why i am. How I work out or fulfil my purpose;
• Mental genius/creativity – What you want to learn. How you want to feel. How you want to grow in the next 12 months;
• Financial freedom/independence – get specific – what salary do I want? how much do I want to save? What investment opportunity do i want to make. What big purchases do I want to make (house, car, holiday, white goods etc);
• Social influence and leadership – What hobbies do I want to do? Which friends do I want to invest in? What do I want to do with them? Any volunteering, any charitable work or inputs etc;
• Family and love based relationships – How do I want to feel about them? What you I want to do with them, for them? Do you want one?;
• Physical health and well-being – How do you want to feel? Any exercise targets, weight change, diet commitment. Key aspects like stress levels, pain levels, sleep quality etc;
• Vocational success – What do I want to achieve in my career? What service do i want to have given? What legacy do i want to have? What skills do i want to develop? Promotion? Pay rise? Management Recognition etc

Against each section I write a series of phrases that dictate either; the specific outcomes I want to achieve, or how I want to feel at the end of the year.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

I then sum those statements up into a single word that defines that section for me, for that year.

Why? Well, to increase the likelihood of success we want to get the intention into the subconscious brain and the easiest way to achieve that is to create a habit loop so that when our subconscious brain is in control (which is 95% of the time) our habit actually supports the behaviour that will drive us towards the outcome we have consciously stated we want. So a single word that conjures up all of the sentiment and intention beneath, that you may see or say in different ways every day, is a great trigger for the habit loop!

I do this by putting the words around my house, using them in my daily life as that helps my brain really focus on that emotion/outcome which will help the brain chemistry change to support it (You can learn more about how our thoughts affect our chemistry with the wonder that is  Dr Bruce Lipton)

We also know there are very few ways to get things into our subconscious brain – but repetition is one of them, that’s where the addition of affirmations and daily rituals come in.

By consciously choosing to repeat positively framed statements, we can encode that into the subconscious. To achieve this I then turn those single words into a set of affirmations that I repeat each morning and night. I’m now adding more and more triggers to ensure these goals are manifested.

“Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis, is exactly what you will experience in your life”

– Tony Robbins

By 10 weeks into the year those are now encoded in my brain and I am supporting the achievement of my goals 100% of the day rather than 5%! That’s the type of increase in successful probability I like!! And that week 15 is not seeing an end to these resolutions.

To help you I have written down the steps in a doc – but note I don’t list these out, I create a visual wheel and put the whole thing on the wall, so the specificity and the affirmations are part of my daily habits. (template for that available too)

“If you have the ability to imagine it. The universe has the ability to give it to you”

– Abraham Hicks

In the below blurred picture (love you and all but you don’t get to see all my intentions for the year) I actually combined 2 areas (family and social) together as I like a balanced 6 area circle (we all have our quirks).

At the centre of the circle within each section you can almost see is my 1 word and to the right are my 6 affirmations. This is then on the wall in my office, and I see them every time I look at the clock or turn the light on! I make sure I say the affirmations morning and night!

To help you here’s a template and a step-by-step process to follow (nothing snazzy just a simple ppt template you can print out and write on. I know I feel more motivated having them there!

So what have you got to lose by giving this a try – a more productive, successful year?

Now that you have utilise this approach to give you clarity on your goals, it’s time to harness The Alchemy of Being to support your transformation by putting modalities, resources or insights into your toolbelt for life:

1. Identify Limiting Beliefs: Reflect on any beliefs that may be holding you back from achieving your goals. Consider looking at these Belief Change Modalities in the Wellness Wiki to challenge and transform these beliefs into empowering ones.
2. Change Habits: If your resolutions require new habits, then maximise your chances. I talk about this under the Strategies for Sustainable Change in the Musings blog called Overcoming an ‘All or Nothing’ Mentality for Lasting Change. In the meantime remember small, incremental steps rather than drastic overhauls.
3. Create Accountability: Share your goals with trusted friends or family members who can support you on your journey. Regular check-ins can help keep you motivated and accountable.
4. Regular Reflection: Set aside time each quarter to review your progress in each area of life. I don’t do this monthly as it’s way too easy for a month to be taken up with “stuff”, but a quarter has sufficient time to get back on track. Doing quarterly reviews mean I don’t over-react, judge myself etc. And don’t forget you can adjust your goals.

As we embark on this new year, let’s commit to making meaningful changes that resonate with our true selves. By using John DeMartini’s 7 areas of life alongside resources and insights from The Alchemy of Being you can create a roadmap for your personal transformation in 2025.

Embrace this opportunity for growth and discovery, knowing that every small step counts on the journey toward becoming the best version of you!