What Are You Doing Different In 2026

What are you doing different for this new year? Repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results is said to be the definition of insanity. We often begin a new year with such zest, gusto, and anticipation that we burst into the first week of the new year and quickly lose our steam.

I researched the following three categories: Spiritual Health, Emotional Health, and Physical Health as possible changes people attempt to make in a new year. I was looking for statistics of the number of people who begin a New Year’s resolution as compared to those who successfully complete those same goals. I was surprised by what I found.

Physical Health resolutions range from 48%-79% of respondents identifying this as their choice depending on the survey cited. I was surprised that Spiritual Health isn’t a category. The closest possible option was looking at Emotional and Mental Health combined or as separate categories. Emotional and Mental Health aren’t easy to categorize because of the personal variables that feed into assessing baseline levels. A 2024 Forbes Health/OnePoll indicated 36% of respondents cited they resolved for improved mental health.

The question is, “How many of those choosing to make a pledge successfully complete that resolution?” Again, depending on the source of the survey you can find different statistics. A 2020-2021 survey stated that at a 1-year follow up 55% of respondents considered themselves successful. However, it also found that people who chose starting a positive habit versus stopping a bad habit saw almost a 60% success rate. A different survey found that after two years only 19% still considered their original resolution successful.

What were the two biggest take-aways I discovered that improve the success rate of accomplishing the resolutions?

1. Make small easy to accomplish goals.

Personal paced, small changes over time will make a long-term impact into your life.

2. Frame your resolution as a positive, ”I will” versus a negative, “I’ll give up or stop.”

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Specific Small Step Positive Actions to Add to Your 2026

Spiritual Health

● Faith vs Fear framing of your life events. This can only be accomplished by saturating your surroundings with scripture. You can be very creative to achieve this by varying your intake into reading your Bible, listening to an audio Bible, and/or watching scripture videos.

● Think on these things, as Philippians 4:8 exhorts: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praise worthy – think about such things” (NIV).

Emotional Health

● Learn the full Serenity Prayer. Ask God to help keep you focused on what you can do, and knowing that He will make all things right.

● Stay in your own lane. Many times we take on someone else’s burdens that really are not ours to bear.

● Guard your heart (Proverbs 4:23 TLB), “Above all else, guard your affections [heart]. For they influence everything else in your life.”

● Protect against information overload. Overload can be both struggles as well as joyous. Each of us has a maximum capacity of information we can contain within

our “mind banks” before we begin to have difficulty sorting and sifting through the cacophony of noise.

Physical Health

● Rest without guilt. Rest may include stepping away from electronic devices and hearing the sounds of nature.

● Resting could include a nap or a walk.

● Manage sugar, caffeine, and carbohydrate intakes. Each of these metabolize quickly and create a physical and mental spike, but ultimately a mental and physical drop in energy….after the high.

What do you see that you can choose to do in 2026 that can improve your life? Pick one area that has been shared and pick one easy and simple act that you can articulate a positive “I can” statement to accomplish your goal. Write your I can statement on a small card (post-it) and place it where you will see it every day. Let a trusted friend know your resolution. This friend becomes an accountability partner, not a nag. Commit your resolution in prayer to God and expect that He will give you the desires of your heart that are pleasing to Him.