New Year, New You? No Thanks
In the US, New Year's gets packaged as a fresh start and a time to set goals. The idea is generally a well-meaning one, with an aim toward self-improvement and personal growth, but I’m wary of the whole bit. Self-improvement is big business, and so much of it hinges on the idea that whatever you already are needs improvement.
I suspect that a good chunk of New Years Resolutions are actually an exercise in taking ruthless stock of our flaws and shortcomings, then declaring war on them under the flag of personal growth. As Julia Cameron put it in The Artist's Way, "Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves."
As an anti-perfectionist, I’m not interested in fresh starts or transformations. I’m working from the belief that you and I are already good. Not finished, not perfect, but not in need of a wrecking ball either.
I don’t want to start over. I want to continue.
I don’t want to transform into a new me. I want to be me—the most me that ever was.
I want to come home to myself.
The self-improvement industry profits by making us feel like we have a long way to climb. If I were this little guy, I'd be questioning why I was supposed to climb in the first place. Photo by BOOM Photography, via Pexels.com
I'm not against growing. Last week's post laid out the case that anti-perfectionism is not anti-growth, but rather an approach to growth that comes from a place of nurturance, encouragement, and compassion rather than flaw-hunting, self-punishment, and guilt.
So in that spirit of growth, here are some Already Good-approved New Year's Resolutions you might try:
Teach yourself a “stupid skill” you’ve always wanted to learn. Master a ridiculous party trick, or learn how to swear in another language, or figure out how to play musical spoons (yes, this is a real goal of mine).
Make a goal out of the celebration of an accomplishment rather than the accomplishment itself. For example, instead of “Finish the project,” try “Get ten high-fives for finishing the project.” Let the joy be the aim.
Make human experiences the goal: Feel a lot of feelings while listening to great music. Eat one meal so good you have to text someone about it. Laugh hard enough that you have to run to the bathroom.
Or don’t do any of them! My New Year’s wish for you is that rather than waging war on parts of yourself, you shift a little more toward a life that feels warm, lived-in, and very you.
Happy New Year, friends.
© 2025–2026 Summer Hopkins Myers | Already Good
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