"According to one study, you're 10 times more likely to accomplish it if you make it a New Year's resolution. And yet, resolutions have an abysmal track record. John Tierney, co-author of Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength (with psychologist Roy Baumeister), predicts that by the end of January, a third of resolutions will already be broken. By July, more than half will be abandoned."
"Most resolutions are aspirational: Exercise more, drink less, spend less time online. They rely on willpower to carry us through the year. When willpower falters, the resolution collapses. But there is another kind of resolution—one that doesn't require self-reinvention yet has the potential to transform. It's also one you can realistically keep. And it's deceptively easy: Spend one year keeping a journal of both gratitude and kindness."
"Why Gratitude and Kindness Belong Together Years ago, I created a guided journal called The premise was simple. Each day, make a brief journal entry about what you're grateful for and at least one thing you did for someone else. You don't need the actual journal to do this, just a notebook or a device and a few minutes a day. What matters most is the consistent practice."
New Year's resolutions often fail because they rely on willpower; only about eight percent succeed. Aspirational goals collapse when willpower falters. An alternative resolution is daily journaling of gratitude and acts of kindness. Make a brief entry each day noting something you're grateful for and at least one kind action taken for someone else. The practice shifts attention outward, builds agency and motivation, and increases awareness of what matters even in difficult times. The habit is simple, realistic, and sustainable. Meaningful engagement from gratitude and kindness produces happiness as a byproduct rather than a direct goal.
Read at Psychology Today
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