Phoenix: Live Love Laugh

The New Year Question: Resolution or Goal?

It’s the start of a new year, and like clockwork, many people have already made resolutions.
And let’s be honest—many will also break them.
Why? Because resolutions are usually rigid decisions, not flexible intentions.

Let’s break it down:

✨ Resolution: A firm decision to do or not to do something.
✨ Goal: The object of your ambition or effort—something you work toward over time.

Resolutions tend to sound bold and final.
Goals give room for realistic action, adjustment, and grace.

Life Isn’t Predictable—So Why Make Rigid Promises?

Here’s why I don’t make resolutions:

Life is unpredictable.
Things happen that we don’t expect—illness, family emergencies, job changes, even pandemics. If you cling to a resolution, you leave no room for the curveballs life throws.

But when you set a goal, you can still pivot, adapt, and keep moving forward—even slowly.
That’s progress, not pressure.

Resolutions Can Judge You—Goals Can Grow You

Let’s say your resolution is to lose weight.
You step on the scale every week and if that number doesn’t move—you feel like a failure.
But what if instead, your goal is to:

• Eat nourishing food
• Walk a little more each day
• Surround yourself with healthier influences
  Suddenly, your focus shifts from judgment to growth.

You begin to see changes in how you feel, how you think, and how you treat your body—even before the number changes.

That’s why I believe:

A resolution lasts for January. A goal grows through the year.

My Sickle Cell Perspective: Resolutions Don’t Fit My Life

As someone living with Sickle Cell Disease, here’s my truth:

“I have Sickle Cell—Sickle Cell doesn’t have me.”

I don’t live a predictable life. I can’t guarantee how I’ll feel tomorrow.
So making resolutions feels like setting myself up for disappointment.

Instead, I set goals that respect my body, my pace, and my healing.

My 2020 Goal: Walk a 5K… and Learn Along the Way

One of my personal goals for 2020 was to walk a 5K fun run—like the Color Run or Glow Run.

But let me be clear:
I had just undergone hip replacement surgery, and was learning to walk all over again.

Was it realistic to finish a 5K right away?
No.
But my goal wasn’t the race. My goal was the recovery, the rehab, and the resilience it would take to get there.

Even if I didn’t cross that finish line in 2020, I knew I’d be:

• Stronger
• More focused
• Better equipped
• And proud of my progress

That’s the power of a goal—you grow through it, no matter the outcome.

Give Yourself Time, Grace, and Intention

If you’ve made resolutions this year, I invite you to revisit them:

Ask yourself:

• Is this realistic with the life I’m living?
• Does this allow space for change, healing, or setbacks?
• Am I giving myself permission to grow, not just pressure to perform?

Remember:

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it was built—step by step.

💭 Reflect:

• What’s one goal you can set that prioritizes progress, not perfection?
• How can you measure success through effort, not outcome?
• Who can you surround yourself with to help you stay encouraged?

#GoalsOverResolutions #ProgressNotPressure #SickleCellWarrior #HealingJourney #NewYearGoals #ChronicIllnessAndGoals #ColorRunDreams #RealisticLiving

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