Rethinking New Year’s Goals: From Self-Improvement to Service
Photo by Max Andrey
What would it look like if your goals this year were in service to others instead of yourself?
One of the most relatable human experiences is setting big goals for the new year and subconsciously abandoning them come February or March.
Perhaps the issue with our big goals is not a lack of discipline or motivation, but how we go about setting them in the first place.
For as long as I can remember, all of my New Year’s resolutions have been about myself. Always some sort of commitment from me, to me, and for me. And while that sounds empowering in theory, the truth is that most people are far less reliable about honoring commitments to themselves than they are to others. I am not an outlier in this.
So this year, I tried a different approach.
What if my goals weren’t centered on self-improvement, productivity, or personal achievement—but instead on how I show up for the people around me? What if the measure of success wasn’t what I accomplished, but how I served?
For example, I am always aiming to improve my communication, so my first resolution is to become a better listener. Not a more articulate speaker. Not someone with better responses. Simply someone who is more present, more patient, and more willing to hear without immediately reacting.
My next goal is to prioritize service to others, trusting that doing so will naturally increase my levels of happiness—not because that is the intention, but because it tends to be the outcome.
Making commitments to and focusing on serving those around us is not about what we get out of it. It’s about shifting the focus away from constant self-evaluation and toward contribution. And in that shift, something subtle but meaningful happens: the pressure eases, the expectations soften, and progress feels more sustainable.
Maybe this is what makes goals stick—not when they are rooted in self-optimization, but when they are grounded in connection. When the question changes from What do I want to achieve? to How do I want to show up?
And perhaps that is enough to carry us not just through January, but through the rest of the year.
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Fundamental of the Week #8: SERVICE IS EXPONENTIAL
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