Notes On… Resolutions with Heart.
The new year is often painted as a time for hope. A clean slate. A fresh start.
But beneath the glitter of resolutions and the pull of self-improvement lies something quieter. A pause. A question. A deeper opportunity to reflect on the stories we carry and the parts of ourselves we are still trying to understand.
So many resolutions are born from unresolved longings.
Why do we vow to eat less, love better, or climb higher?
What lives beneath the surface of these goals?
Often, it’s a quieter question: Am I enough as I am?
When we treat goals as destinations, we risk turning the journey into a test.
And when we fall short, shame rushes in.
But what if we began from curiosity instead of criticism?
What if we asked not what needs fixing, but what needs listening?
Psychodynamic therapy teaches us that the past is alive in the present.
The voice urging you to prove yourself.
The fear of failure that lingers in the chest.
The ache of childhood needs that never fully went away.
These shape the resolutions we make.
Are we striving from fear, or moving from love?
The most radical resolution might be this:
To meet yourself with compassion.
Instead of vowing to control your body, explore the relationship you have with it.
Instead of promising to work harder, ask what beliefs you hold about your worth.
These are not quick fixes. They are deeper shifts.
They invite us to move from self-correction toward self-understanding.
As the clock turns and the calendar resets, consider holding two truths at once:
A desire for growth and a full-hearted acceptance of who you already are.
Transformation doesn’t come from self-denial.
It comes from self-awareness.
Resolutions, when grounded in compassion, become invitations, not punishments.
Take a breath. Begin the year not with urgency, but with presence.
Ask not only what you want to achieve, but who you are becoming.
The journey matters more than the finish line.
And the unfolding of your truest self may be the most meaningful resolution of all.
