Achieving personal growth through New Years resolutions

The New Year is a time for resolutions to help us live more authentically human lives.

Maybe we want to heal emotionally this year. Maybe we have physical goals. Or perhaps we’re seeking a new appreciation for the things of the spirit. Going to the gym more, dieting, and spending less money are all popular, personal growth New Year's resolutions from secular culture. 

But we know we need more. 

How do you choose a resolution? Where are the resources for resolution-making? How do you stay on track once you start a resolution?

Look no further! We have compiled a list of how to make (and keep!) a resolution.

4 things to consider when choosing your resolution

1. Where am I at?

Are your resolutions practical for your state in life? The resolutions for a stay-at-home mom are going to be different than for a single college student. Make sure you pick something that will challenge you but is also achievable!

2. Work schedule and family life

Part of a healthy, holistic life is meeting our work commitments and prioritizing our family. Don’t pick a resolution that will interfere with the quality of your work or relationships. 

3. Allow for flexibility

If your resolution isn’t delivering the results you’d like, make adjustments. Don’t give in to the temptation to abandon it completely! 

4. Pray

Make God part of the conversation! Bring your decision-making to prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten you. 

3 recommended books for resolution-making

1. Introduction to the Devout Life by St. Francis de Sales

This spiritual classic is a MUST-READ for anyone trying to pick their New Year’s resolutions! 

2. 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson

Looking for something secular? Peterson’s classic challenges tired old self-improvement tropes and helps you think about making changes based on virtue and human nature.

3. Humility Rules by Fr. Augustine Wetta

This guide to humility written by a Benedictine monk will help you identify practical steps you can take to live a more virtuous life AND make you laugh in the process!

15 ideas for personal growth 

1. Be more intentional about spending time in and admiring creation 

2. Try a new recipe each month and enjoy it with family and friends

3. Pick up a new hobby by taking a class through a community college or a parks and rec department 

4. Don’t hit the snooze button

   • Embrace what St. Josemaría Escrivá calls the “Heroic Minute” by denying the impulse to sleep for five more minutes. Instead, get up as soon as your alarm goes off and get the day started!  

5. Create space for silence during your commute 

6. Find a neighbor who is sick or lonely and visit them once a week

7. Clean out your closet after every season and give the clothes you didn’t wear to the poor 

8. Attend a live show or musical concert for cultural enrichment 

9. Practice hospitality by hosting a party at your home

   • Catholics love a good party! Pick a theme like a saint’s feast day as an occasion to celebrate with your friends and family. Choose foods, decorations, and games in the spirit of the theme. For example, have a barbeque on August 10th, the feast of St. Lawrence!

10. Laugh more by finding the humorous side of things in your daily life

11. Commit to complimenting another person every day this year 

12. Dedicate intentional time with one friend or family member each month

13. Join a group fitness class at a nearby gym or an intramural sports league

14. Get more involved at your parish 

15. Volunteer with a local charity organization

15 ideas for spiritual growth

1. Go on a retreat 

2. Pray the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet daily 

3. Schedule a time to go to Confession once a month (or more!) 

4. Commit to 10 minutes of spiritual reading every day

5. Have your house blessed

   • Catholics traditionally bless their homes on the Feast of the Epiphany, but if you’ve never had a priest bless your home, invite your parish priest over to do it this year.  

6. Start the morning right with a morning offering

7. Stay until the end of Sunday Mass and spend five minutes after in praise

8. Abstain from meat every Friday 

9. Commit to radical honesty in speech and internal monologues

10. Make a list of those who have hurt you and forgive them one by one

11. Embark on a pilgrimage

    • A pilgrimage is an excellent way to recall that we are all pilgrims on an earthly journey walking towards an eternal destination. There are many international pilgrimage opportunities you could embark on, and also many shrines and churches in the United States you could explore!    

12. Read the Gospels all the way through 

13. Wear a religious symbol for the entire year

14. Complete an online course on a spiritual topic

15. Commit to 15 minutes of prayer every day

Do you have any great resolution ideas? Leave them in the comments below!