Journeys With Jani

Let’s Talk About It…

So… everybody’s got their New Year’s Resolutions locked and loaded, right?

Some folks make a list. A LIST. Like we’re about to storm the beaches of Normandy with a planner and a protein shake.

Others pick one BIG, shiny goal and slap it on January like a fresh bumper sticker: New year. New me.

And look, I get it. Something about January makes us feel like we’re supposed to overhaul our whole existence before the Christmas tree even finishes shedding its last needle. But is the BIG CHANGE approach actually helpful… or is it just loud?

Because every year, we all watch the same thing happen:

🎉 People post lofty aspirations

🎉 People feel inspired for about 9 days

🎉 Then life shows up with groceries, traffic and a lower back that suddenly has opinions

What if the problem isn’t motivation… what if the problem is scope?

Big goals aren’t the enemy. Vague goals are.

“I’m going to travel more in 2026.” Okay. Love that for you. But that sentence is like saying, “I’m going to eat better” while standing in the chip aisle. It’s not a plan, it’s a wish.

Try this instead:

🤔 Pick one or two specific destinations.

💋 Not Europe. Not the beach. Pick actual places.

💋 Then do the most magical thing known to mankind…

Talk to your travel agent. Make the deposit. Boom. Done.

That’s not just a resolution. That’s a decision.

Same with reading. “I’m going to read more” is sweet, but it’s slippery.

Try:

📕 1 book a week if you’re a fast reader

📕📗 2 books a month if your life stays busy

📃 10 pages a night if your attention span has been personally victimized by social media

Now you’ve got something you can actually measure. Progress feels good. Progress keeps you going.

Resolutions, but make them smaller and meaner

Not mean like hateful. Mean like effective.

😕 Instead of: I’m going to get organized

🙌 Try: Every Sunday, I’m clearing one surface. One.

😕 Instead of: I’m going to get healthier

🙌 Try: I’m walking 20 minutes three days a week. Start there.

😕 Instead of: I’m going to save money

🙌 Try: I’m auto-transferring $25 every payday.

Quiet. Consistent. Powerful.

Tiny wins stack up. And stacked wins turn into real change without the drama.

My twist this year: I’m not really doing the whole New Year’s Resolution thing. I’m switching it to my birthday. Because honestly… wouldn’t that make more sense?

January is everybody’s fresh start. It’s loud and crowded and full of other people’s expectations. But your birthday? That’s your personal page turn. Your individual new chapter.

And here’s the thing… it’s not just a chapter in some fancy hardcover book. It’s a journal you’re writing in real time. You choose what goes on those pages. You choose what gets remembered.

Those pages become the kind of memories our children, grandchildren and people we love carry forward. Maybe they’ll read them one day, maybe they’ll just feel them long after we’re gone on to be with real Jesus instead of hanging down here with tiny Jesus.

So yeah… I’m making my commitments on the day that belongs to me.

And if you’re reading this on Journeys With Jani, consider this your permission slip to do the same. Skip the giant vague promises. Pick a couple of specific things. Make them doable. Put dates on them. Put money on them if needed. Put accountability on them if you’re serious …like, get an accountability partner!

A resolution isn’t a personality trait. It’s a choice you repeat.

Now… go make one that actually sticks.

And I promise DJ MJ will be back this afternoon with a music blog.

XOXO, Jani