Under-Promise and Over-Deliver: My New Year’s Resolution That Actually Feels Possible

Each December, I’m both melancholy and strangely optimistic. And every year, I make ambitious New Year’s resolutions. But by mid-January, and then February, guilt creeps in as I fall short again.

This morning, I sat with my coffee in hand and quietly reflected. And then I chuckled quietly in the dark as I reminded myself that, although I try, I am human, and there is truly only so much time in a day. I decided I needed to do something radically realistic.

Something scandalously achievable.

So, New Year and ‘new me’, here I come.

I am under-promising myself and over-delivering.

Let me unpack this.

In the past, ‘over-delivering’ meant a lot of hard work—after all, those lists I made weren’t going away. Sometimes, over-delivering felt like alphabetizing my sock drawer or rearranging my pantry by color—hum-drum exercises that had no soul. Or saying yes to something I hardly wanted to do—while my “care” hours dissolved and guilt settled back in.

I have decided that for 2026, over-delivering won’t be about making a huge list, or agreeing to everything, or having a perfectly spotless kitchen. Or doing yoga or tai chi first thing in the morning and right before bed. 2026 will look different. I will have the time to keep the promises I actually can keep. Or opening my journal when I want to continue writing. Or continuing on my wellness journey faithfully, but on my own time.

And it means being kind to myself, and of course, kind to others.

Nothing more and nothing less. It’s a manageable plan.

This year, under-promising means I don’t set myself up for a year-long guilt spiral over things that, frankly, aren’t essential. It’s my quiet rebellion against the “New Year, 'new you' hype. It’s a refusal to chase a version of myself that only exists on SM.

This year, I am going to embrace small victories. Tiny wins. Barely-there achievements that quietly say, I did. Or we did.

So if you see me gliding through the year with a modest checklist, a slightly messy kitchen, and a suspiciously calm smile, that’s me over-delivering on what really matters: showing up for myself and for others with a peaceful calm.

Maybe the bravest resolution we can make this year isn’t to become a perfect version of ourselves or to stop auditioning for a flawless life that doesn't exist and that we don’t have time for.

Maybe it's about balancing our priorities so that we can be more grounded and present.

Happy 2026!

And P.S. Take a deep breath.