What to Do When You Don't Have Any New Year's Resolutions

2017 is going to be a year of healing. For a majority of us, 2016 was a year of trauma, devastation, and uncertainty. It was just emotionally exhausting. Now that we’ve gotten through most of January, some of us have realized that we didn’t set aside any resolutions.

It’s okay–you don’t have to panic! Not having any resolutions doesn’t mean you’re unprepared for the new year. Sometimes, we don’t have a specific goal in mind, but we’re ready to improve ourselves all-around. Oftentimes, we find ourselves setting goals without truly knowing our limits or the complications that we’ll face later in the year. Then at the end of the year, we realize we didn’t quite achieve all our goals and become discouraged. Don’t be. This does not make you a failure. It makes you aware.
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If you’re all too familiar with this feeling but unsure on where to go, we got you! There’s always one thing we can work on–ourselves. We’ve broken it down to some simple ideals and our steps to self-awareness and growth can be broken down into three topics:
Motivation, routines, and consistency.

Image via CreateHerStock.com

Motivation: Finding motivation is easier said than done. Personally, I follow people who inspire me (are in the career field I’m pursuing, or just posts generally positive content) so I’m not seeing negative content on my social media accounts 24/7. Following toxic people on social media and reading their negative thoughts on a consistent basis can cause you to develop negative thoughts as well. It’s not worth it.

Routines: Whether it’s journaling, making a cup of tea every morning, or reading the news on the train commute to work, discover something organic that brings you joy daily. Having an activity that you can act on daily can put your mind into a positive space and gives you a different perspective. An article from HelpStart discusses a study at the University of Pennsylvania which shows that people were more encouraged when they used the beginning of a time period (week, month, or year) to embrace change–in this case, we’re applying this philosophy to the beginning of every day.

Consistency: Great–now you’ve found a routine that you like! You’ve got to stick to it now. Doing something every day for a week does not make it a routine. You have to consistently stick to it. Try to stay in your routine for at least 8 weeks. If it doesn’t necessarily work out, try something else. Didn’t like the caffeine jitters your morning coffee gave you? Drink a glass of water instead. Train was too loud to focus on reading the morning news? Try waking up 10 minutes earlier so you can read at the comfort your home. Remember, it’s your own routine. Nobody is telling you it must be a certain way–adjust it as needed. Just make sure you’re motivated to follow a consistent routine.


The new year gives us an opportunity to start anew. We’re constantly able to work on ourselves. Self-love and healing is an everlasting process. It takes time, but it’ll pay off immensely in the end.

In need of more inspiration? Check out our latest webseires #BlackGirlMagicUnfiltered, where black girls share their truth and set goals for the new year:

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Written By: Autumn Dalton