Corrine Arnell

One thing about me, I am going to set a New Year’s resolution. Something about it just feels like a reset. Like ok this is something that I want to accomplish over this next calendar year, and I can reflect on that next December. As someone who is committed to getting better and better each year, I like to hit the ground running on my goals. I have had a range things that I have said that I was going to do each year. I’ve also had a range of outcomes. In 2023, one of my goals was to graduate from Howard University. Mission accomplished. In 2024, one of my goals was to finish the first draft of my novel. Although I’ve made a lot of progress, the truth is the draft isn’t finished. 

I don’t look at this as a failure. Life happens. I moved to a new city and started a new job at the very beginning of 2024. That transition took up a lot of my time and I didn’t start actively writing until later this year, and after much research and outlining, I changed a lot of things about the plot and started over. I can confidently say that I will be done with that draft soon, so my self-instated deadline was delayed but not denied. 

So, am I really going to stick to my New Years resolutions this time around? I mean I plan on it, don’t we all! I’ve done some research and thought I would share how I plan on being successful with all my goals this year. Here are some key things that I will be implementing in 2025. 

Planning

I love the movie King Richard (2021) directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin. It stars Will Smith and tells the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, and his determination to write them into history. In the movie, there is a scene where all of the Williams children are getting ready for bed and Richard (Will Smith) comes in and checks on them. He asks if they have made their plans for tomorrow and they all say yes. They all then say a quote that Richard told his children often, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” This quote has stuck with me ever since. 

I am the type A friend. I LOVE a plan. My parents have always instilled the importance of having a plan in my sister and I. Last year, I noticed that because I didn’t plan a set time to work on writing, on very busy days it didn’t get done. You have to make time for the things that you want, and a part of that comes with planning to do so. 

I am a paper and pencil person, so I purchase physical planners in order to plan out my days. Something that I am implementing in 2025 is planning down to the hour. My new planner has space for daily planning with hourly slots from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. By planning workdays by the hour, I can make sure that I get everything done instead of losing hours that could’ve been productive. I’m excited to be able to look at everything that I have to do that day and plug in time for my resolutions between all of that. 

Discipline

You can plan all you want but if you don’t follow through with the plan it means nothing. The thing about resolutions, the hype dies down after the first couple of weeks. Everyone stops talking about them, the gym stops being overcrowded, and the initial motivation dies down. That is when discipline kicks in. 

The best advice that I can give to develop discipline is to do something enough times to start seeing results. Once you see results, and how those results make you feel, you will continue to do the work to get that feeling. The best example is working out. When I start seeing results in the gym, I get addicted to it. I work so hard because I know it’s working. The working out is something that I enjoy because of the way I feel after I’ve done it and after seeing my waist even more snatched than before. Just being honest. You can apply this to anything. Once you see the progress of a goal such as getting halfway through your reading goal of the year, you keep going. Find love for the journey and you’ll always be disciplined. 

Consistency

This goes hand and hand with discipline. Have the discipline to do the task, even when the motivation isn’t there, and be consistent. This is what separates you from completing your resolutions and just starting them. Be kind to yourself because it is honestly a skill. You got this. Just take it a day at a time. 

So, here’s to sticking to our resolutions this year, or at least trying our best. xoxo.