A Seasonal Focus: A Gentle Alternative to New Year’s Resolutions
- Jennifer Bonilla
- Jan 6
- 3 min read
Every new year seems to come with a familiar feeling...
A mix of hope and pressure.
To do things differently this time...
To commit to something big and carry it through the whole year.
I’ve felt that pressure myself!
But life doesn’t usually stay steady for twelve months at a time.
Energy changes...Circumstances shift...Capacity goes up and down.
What feels doable in January can feel heavy a few months later.
That’s why this year I’m choosing a Seasonal Focus Over New Year’s Resolutions.
Not as a way to lower the bar but as a way to stay engaged with how I’m actually living.
Why a Seasonal Focus Feels Different Than New Year’s Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions often assume we’ll stay the same all year, same energy, same motivation, same availability.
That’s rarely true.
A seasonal focus works differently. It assumes things will change and makes room for that.
Instead of asking myself to decide how I’ll live for the entire year, I’m asking a smaller question: What feels supportive right now?
That shift alone takes away a lot of pressure.
It turns intention into something you can return to, rather than something you either “stick to” or abandon.
Letting Go of All-or-Nothing New Year’s Resolutions
Most big resolutions don’t fail because people don’t care enough.
They fail because they ask for too much at once.
It’s easy to feel motivated at the beginning to imagine a version of life with new routines, better habits, and more structure.
And then real life shows up.
You’re tired...
Your schedule fills up...
Things don’t go exactly as planned...
When the plan doesn’t fit reality, it’s not uncommon to pull away completely. Not because you’ve failed, but because the structure wasn’t realistic to begin with.
I’ve found it’s often not about needing more discipline.
It’s about needing expectations that match capacity.
Choosing a Seasonal Focus Instead of Year-Long Goals
Rather than trying to change everything at once, I choose one focus for the season.
Just one.
This season, the focus is on well-being.
Not wellbeing as a performance, but wellbeing as something practical and lived.
Each day, I ask:
If this focus were guiding me today, what would it ask for realistically?
Not what would be ideal...
Not what I “should” do...
Just what would help a little...
Consistency Over Intensity
For me, that’s looked like:
Moving for ten minutes instead of skipping movement altogether
Eating in a way that keeps my energy steady
Adjusting my schedule so it fits my actual limits
Creating small transitions during the day so my body and mind know what’s happening
None of this is impressive. But it’s doable, I can come back to it even on low-energy days.
That’s what makes it last.
A Seasonal Focus Is a Living System, Not a Rigid Plan
What matters most in this approach isn’t doing it perfectly.
It’s staying responsive.
I don’t treat this as a plan I have to follow exactly.
I treat it more like something I check in with.
Adjust, Don’t Abandon
If something stops working, I don’t assume it means I’ve failed.
I adjust.
Some weeks that means scaling things back...
Some months, it means changing how the focus shows up...
Some seasons it means choosing a different focus altogether...
Nothing here is meant to be permanent.
I’m not trying to make this year perfect.
I’m trying to stay connected to how I live and to make choices that are sustainable, not exhausting.
If you need to move slower than this approach suggests, that still counts. Slowness is often part of care.
This isn’t about fixing yourself for the year ahead. It’s about choosing how you want to live for this season.
If this season is bringing up questions about boundaries, rest, or how you relate to yourself or others, having support can make that exploration feel less heavy.
If you’re unsure where to start, you don’t need a plan, just a focus for this season, and permission to meet it gently.
If you’d like to learn more about my approach, you can read more here.
Kindly,
Jennifer
