22 Powerful New Year’s Resolutions for 2023

These 22 Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions will help you kick the year off right.

I’m going to give you ideas that cover all the major areas of your life including:

• Spiritual Growth
• Personal Growth
• Marriage, Family, and Relationships
• Physical Health
• Financial
• Self-care, Mental Health, and Hobbies

Plus, I’m going to give you real examples of how you can easily add these ideas into your plans for 2022.

22 Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions

Think of these 22 New Year’s Resolutions ideas as a starting point.

They’re fairly broad ideas, but I want you to turn them into goals that most resonates with you.

But before you dive in, there are 2 things I really think you should do before you make your New Year’s Resolutions for 2022.

1. Reflect on 2022 – Think about what went well, what didn’t, lessons learned, etc. It’ll give you some clarity on what’s moving you forward and what’s keeping you stuck.  (Use these self-reflection journal prompts to help).

✍️  “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – George Santayana

2. Come up with a vision for 2022 – Think about what would truly make 2022 amazing for you. Doing a vision board is my favorite way to get clarity and focused on what’s most important to me. (Get your Free Vision Board Printables here).

✍️  “Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant.” Anonymous

Oh and, because if you’re like the rest of us, you’ve set New Year’s Resolutions in the past that you stuck with for like 3 seconds. 🤦🏾‍♀️ 😂  #nojudgementzone  So, I have 4 tips that’ll actually help you stick to your resolutions at the end of the post. So don’t count yourself out – we’ve got this!

These resolutions fall into 6 main buckets:

1. Spiritual Growth
2. Personal Growth
3. Marriage, Family, & Relationships
4. Physical / Health
5. Financial
6. Self-care and Hobbies

Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Spiritual Growth

1. Create a spiritual development plan

This  a perfect time to set your intentions for growing spiritually.

No matter how spiritually mature you are, there’s always room to grow.

Your spiritual growth can positively impact every other area of your life.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Spend more time with God daily
• Join a small group at church
• Complete 1 Bible Study a month

2. Follow a Bible Reading  or Devotional Plan

If you’ve never read the Bible through in its entirety, this year is the perfect time to do it.

Reading the Bible can help you grow spiritually, deepen your faith, and increase your understanding.

A quick Google Search for “Bible Reading Plans for Beginners” can have you set up for your new goal in no time.

You can also download the YouVersion Bible App which has Bible plans covering everything from Relationships with God to Leadership.

Or, you can do a Guided Devotional. I did this one a few months ago and it’s easily the best devotional I’ve ever done.

✍️  “Put your expectations on God, not on people.” – Joyce Meyer

Personal Growth Resolutions

3. Read More books

Romance, Mystery, Self-Help…?

Whatever your jam, reading is an excellent addition to your list of ideas for New Year’s Resolutions.

Did you know that reading for pleasure can help improve your sleep patterns?

Plus people who read for pleasure have greater levels of self esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. (Check out this study)

Whether you’re taking a mini-escape between the pages of your new book or reading timeless non-fictional masterpieces, reading can do wonders for you.

If audiobooks are more your style, start the new year off with a free Audible trial.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Read 30 mins a week
• Read a book that’ll help me hit a specific goal
• Start or join a monthly book club

4. Step out of your comfort zone

This is one of my personal favorite ideas for New Year’s Resolutions.

Often times the big changes you want to see in life are on the other side of fear.

And while change is automatic, growth is intentional.

Ask yourself, “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?”

This year is the perfect time to take a deep breath, step out of your comfort zone, and pursue the things that’ll make your heart smile.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Be more adventurous (Ex. Go skydiving or pick a fun activity on Groupon)
• Do some public speaking (Ex. Join Toastmasters)
• Take a class (GoSkills is having an amazing Black Friday Sale from 11/23 – 11/30. Check it out.)

✍️  “Change is automatic, growth is intentional.” – Unknown

5. Create a personal development plan

Again, change is automatic, but growth is intentional.

The beginning of the year is a great time to do some introspection and set personal development goals.

What are the skills you want to learn? What are the character traits you want to develop?

Once you know the areas in which you wanna develop, come up with a plan to get there.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Take your first step by signing up for an online course, such as the ones offered by GoSkills. GoSkills courses are led by hand-picked experts and are bite-sized, allowing even the busiest of people to start upskilling right away.
• Learn how to stop comparing yourself to others
• Choose a fear to conquer
• Practice being more disciplined

6. Get more organized

If you’ve struggled with being organized, then 2023 is the year to tackle it.

Getting organized can improve your productivity, save you time, and just improve the overall quality of your life.

To start, consider the areas of your life you want to organize more.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Do weekly Meal Planning (You can get a free meal planning printable online)
• Declutter and Organize each room in my house
• Track and organize my goals and daily schedule (I use this planner to help me)

7. Take a class

Learning a new skill can be a lot of fun and a great way to expand your network.

You can take a class for leisure or do it as a part of your personal growth strategy.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Take a cooking class
• Find a class that let’s me be creative (Ex. Dance, Pottery, or Art class)
• Take a public speaking class
• Take a class to help me level up in my career

Marriage, Family, and Relationships

8. Invest in Your Marriage

Your marriage is easily the most important relationship you have outside of your relationship with God and yourself.

And good, healthy, strong marriages don’t happen by accident, they happen on purpose.

So get intentional about prioritizing your marriage and finding new ways to be a better spouse. (Again, I highly recommend this devotional)

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Plan a date night with my spouse at least once a week
• Go to a couple’s retreat
• Find fun ways to improve your communication

✍️  “Happily ever after is not a fairytale, it’s a choice.” – Fawn Weaver

9. Get involved in your community

Whether it’s your church, school, or neighborhood community, now’s an excellent time to get more involved.

Getting involved in your community helps you expand your network, make new friends, and contribute to things that matter to you.

There’s no need to feel overwhelmed with this one.

Simply decide how much time you have weekly or monthly, and find a way to get involved.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Sign up for my child’s PTA
• Join the Women’s Group at Church
• Join a local hiking club

10. Find somewhere to volunteer

Make 2023 a year of impact and change.

Finding somewhere to volunteer is an excellent way to make a difference in your community.

What are some of the causes you’re passionate about? What groups are you interested in helping?

If you’re not sure where to start, head on over to volunteermatch.org to find local opportunities near you.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Volunteer at Church
• Volunteer at a local animal shelter
• Join a city clean-up club

11. Invest in your relationships

This is the perfect time to start deepening your relationship with your family, friends, and even your extended networks.

Your friendships and relationships with the people closest to you are a blessing.

Just like everything else in life, seeing them flourish and keeping them from growing stagnant requires work and intentionality.

Is there a relationship you’ve been neglecting that you want to focus on more? How can you deepen your current relationships?

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Call at least 3 family members and/or friends every week
• Pick someone monthly to do a random act of kindness for

Physical Health Goals

12. Take control of your health

2022 has taught us many lessons, and one of them is definitely how important it is to stay healthy.

Mind, body, soul, and spirit – getting and staying healthy means everything.

Health goals are one of the most common ideas for New Year’s Resolutions. Unfortunately, so many people struggle to hit them.

If you’ve made health goals that you’ve never hit, fear not. This is the year that you’re getting your health under control!

Step 1: For sticking with this New Year’s Resolution

The key here is to make your goals realistic and as enjoyable as possible.

For example, if you hate going to the gym, but you need to exercise. Don’t force it.

Instead find a different form of exercise to do.

You can take a dance class, join a martial arts class, go for a run, go bike riding, join a local sports team, get a group of guys together and play some basketball. The options are endless.

Just make sure you choose an activity that you’ll enjoy. That’ll make getting up to workout much easier on those days when you’d rather sleep in.

Step 2: For sticking with this New Year’s Resolution

Another key is to start small and work your way up to a more intense and full bodied workout.

Let’s say you want to take up running, but you haven’t run in the last 10 years. If you start out trying to run 10 miles on Day 1, chances are you’ll hurt yourself, get overwhelmed and quit.

The alternative is to start off by walking or doing a light jog. Do a half mile or a mile on Day 1 and gradually increase your distance as you go.

This gives you time to adjust mentally and physically, thereby making it easier to stick to.

Okay, here are some ideas of how you can turn this resolution into practical goals.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Exercise 4 days a week
• Juice every morning Monday – Friday
• Create a self care routine

✍️  “Take care of your body, it’s the only place you have to live.” – Jim Rohn

13. Start swapping out toxic products

Between heavily processed foods, skin care products that are filled with harsh chemicals, and products that are negatively impacting the environment, there’s a lot we need to protect ourselves from.

The products that we use can have some pretty nasty long term effects on our bodies and on the environment.

2023 is the perfect time to start making small swaps that can make a huge difference.

For example, you can start with a simple change like switching out plastic toothbrushes for bamboo ones.

Or, you can start swapping out chemical filled skin care products for more natural non-toxic products.

Financial Resolutions

14. Create an additional income stream

Money, money, money – another hard core lesson for many of us, courtesy of 2022.

To say that many Americans found themselves struggling financially would be the understatement of a lifetime.

While we certainly cannot predict a world wide pandemic, we can safely assume that more uncertain times are ahead.

Creating an additional income stream is one of the ways you can hedge your bets and create more financial security.

This means you’ll have additional money to save, invest, and pay down debt.

I know that this can seem intimidating, but in a world of numerous side hustles, it’s certainly possible.

Start by doing some research on popular side hustles, and write down the ones you think you’d be good at.

Make a plan and start taking action.

That brings me to my next point…

15. Take control of your finances

Knowing how to make money is one thing, knowing how to make it work for you is another.

We can no longer rely on pension plans, and social security.

That’s what makes this one of the most important ideas for New Year’s Resolutions on this list.

Financial planning is something that you should start now, even if you don’t feel ready.

Whether your goal is to get out of debt, build your savings, or create a strong investment portfolio – you need a goal and a plan to hit it.

Again, the goal isn’t to solve the whole thing over night.

Create a plan to start chipping away at your goals.

Examples of what this may look like for you:

• Do Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University (I personally know several people who’ve used this to help them get out of debt and build their savings)
• Save $XXX a month
• Increase monthly contribution to 401k by $XXX /month

✍️  “You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” –Dave Ramsey” – Dave Ramsey

Self-care, Mental Health, and Hobbies

16. Add journaling to your routine

Journaling has numerous benefits. Some of the most successful people in the world talk about how journaling plays a critical part in their daily routines.

For starters it’s a great way to create a personal record that you can look back on years later. Journaling can also help you organize your thoughts, meet your goals, and support your overall mental health.

Ready to get started? Here are some of the most popular journals.

17. Start a mindfulness practice

You’re constantly being bombarded with thousands of stimuli throughout the day.

With so much to focus on and so much to do, many of us are prone to feelings of anxiety and overwhelm.

“Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” (Source: mindful.org)

Practicing mindfulness can have positive effects on your overall health and happiness.

18. Create a self care routine

This is one of the most important ideas for New Year’s resolutions on this list.

The weight of our regular responsibilities alone, can be a lot.

Making self care apart of your regular routine, can help you manage the stress of your regular life.

Creating a self care routine can be as simple as recognizing the activities that help you feel most relaxed, and then scheduling time to do it.

✍️  “Rest and self care are so important. When you take time to replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an empty vessel.” – Eleanor Brown

19. Get a hobby

Having fun is so much easier when you’re a kid. Fun is basically built into your daily routine. Recess anyone?

As an adult, you have to be more intentional about doing activities that are fun. A hobby is a perfect way to add an extra dose of fun to the upcoming year.

If you need some ideas for a new hobby, head on over to meetup.com where you can find plenty of activities to try out.

20. Travel more

With so many places to see in this world, this year would be the perfect time to start visiting some of your dream destinations.

You can do a group trip with strangers,  opt to go on a solo trip, or plan a vacation with your family friends.

If it’s not in your budget to go out of the country, or if you don’t feel comfortable traveling abroad yet, consider doing a road trip.

Airbnb and VRBO have made traveling locally much easier and more affordable.

21. Choose 3 ways to create new memories

What would it take to make 2023 a year that you’ll love to look back on?

Whether it’s taking an awesome family vacation, knocking something off your bucket list, or spending more time with your friends, 2023 is the perfect time to create new memories.

Think about what it would take for you to feel awesome about 2023. Then, choose a few things from that list and make it happen.

22. Start pursuing one dream you’ve neglected

Why put on hold what you can start today?

What are some of the dreams you’ve been neglecting? 2023 may be the perfect time to start working on making that dream a reality.

Start with researching what’s required to pursue that dream. Then outline an exact plan to get it done.

4 Tips that Make Sticking to Your Ideas for New Year’s Resolutions Easier

That’s it for our 22 ideas – hopefully that got your wheels spinning.

The truth is, making the resolutions is the easy part. Sticking with them is where it gets tough.

If you’ve been in the habit of making resolutions that you never stick with, you’re not alone.

In fact, about 80% of people who’ve set New Year’s Resolutions are right there with ya (including me).

Thankfully we can change that this year!

Here are 4 things you must do if you’re serious about hitting your New Year’s goals.

1. Make them realistic – setting unrealistic goals is the quickest way to fail. Be honest with yourself about where you are currently and then set attainable goals based on that.
2. Choose things that you really care about – Choose goals that really resonate with you. Those are the goals that will really motivate you even on the hard days.
3. Get an accountability partner – Having someone to hold you accountable for working on your goals can help you stay on target. Choose someone you can trust and who has the discipline to hold you accountable consistently.
4. Keep them top of mind – Building your goals into your new routine requires intentionality. Creating a vision board and hanging it somewhere you can see it daily is a great way to stay focused on your goals.

Let 2022 Go

Whether you loved 2022 or hated it, it’s behind you now.

And 2023 is a blank canvas.

So take a deep breath and get ready. There are new opportunities to seize, goals to hit, and progress to make.

Ready to make 2023 your best year yet?

Alrighty, let’s do this…

I’d love to hear which ideas for New Year’s Resolutions you’re most excited about. Let me know in the comments below.