The last time I set an actual New Year’s Resolution was when I was 11.

I resolved to journal every day, like my favourite literary character at the time, Abby Hayes. I did this, and it satisfied my New Year’s Resolution needs for life.

Over the years I’ve grown to understand my passion for writing, and how it fits into my life.

My 11-year old self was onto something. I enjoy the act of writing. Nothing feels more luxurious to me than dedicating time to writing (preferably over a cup of coffee in a cute coffeeshop).

I don’t enjoy ‘having written’ as much as I enjoy writing itself.

Sitting down to write every day is the most lovely feeling. It is far lovelier than finishing a writing project.

In the past I’ve set arbitrary goals around writing. What really sticks is aiming to give myself more time to write.

When I give up on a goal, it’s often because I didn’t care to complete it in the first place.

I do all the right things when I set goals: I make them specific and achievable, and all the letters that spell SMART.

The most important factor, however, is its dreaminess – do I dream about it? Am I excited about completing this goal? Or am I working towards something just to feel like I have direction?

Specificity is useless if it’s also arbitrary.

On top of everything else going on at this time of year, why add extra pressure to map out the entirety of the next one?

In the long run, figuring out what you want, enjoying the process,  is more valuable than proving to yourself that you can finish an arbitrary project.

If you have a dream – big or small – that you are 100% certain about, by all means follow it. If, like most of us, you aren’t sure what you want, instead of committing a random thing, commit to exploring.

Next week, I’m running my masterclass on this very topic. In Heroine Training 101, I’ll teach you how to take pressure off yourself, and enjoy life by treating it as a series of mini adventures. Learn how to explore, play, and add a bit of magic to your daily life. RSVP for Heroine Training 101 here (it’s free!).

Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work:

The Lesson

You can’t fake a big dream.

If you’re not passionate about any specific goal, don’t pick something random.

Instead, commit to exploring and mini adventuring.

Join me on 27 December at 4pm BST for Heroine Training 101.