Creating Real Change

Creating Real Change
As the year winds down, many of us begin thinking about New Year’s resolutions—plans to finally do the things we didn’t do in 2025 (or 2024… or 2023). While goal setting is valuable, it’s also common to fall short of the change we hope to create. There are many reasons for this, but one key factor often gets overlooked: change itself.
 
Resolutions require us to do something different, and our ability to change—our adaptability—is closely tied to how we set and relate to achievement goals. Even when a goal feels realistic, it still asks us to shift habits, routines, or beliefs. That can be harder than we expect.
 
There are very normal human responses to change. Many models describe phases such as denial, resistance, exploration, and new beginnings. Interestingly, we often experience them out of order. We may start with excitement about a “new beginning,” only to slide backward into resistance and, eventually, denial.
 
For example:

• New beginning: “I want to lose 10 pounds, so I’ll set my alarm 30 minutes earlier to run.”
• Resistance: “It’s dark in the morning—maybe I’ll just do weekends and eat less during the week.”
• Denial: “I don’t really need to lose weight anyway, and running is bad for my knees.”

 
This is where intentional support matters. Creating a Self-Care Plan or Resilience Map can help us stay grounded when change becomes uncomfortable. Thought leaders from Earl Nightingale to Jim Rohn emphasize the importance of writing down goals. Tools like vision boards, journaling, tracking progress, and visualization have all been shown to support successful change—not because they eliminate resistance, but because they help us move through it.
 
As you wrap up 2025, I hope you take time to acknowledge what you’ve accomplished, reflect on what worked (and what didn’t), and care for yourself along the way. Building resilience isn’t just preparation for the new year—it’s what allows real, lasting change to take root.
 
What is one small, specific change you can plan for now—including how you’ll respond when resistance shows up?
 
*Adapted from Real People Real Solutions newsletter published December 2021