New Year's Resolutions: What do we do when our plans fail?

It's Ted Tuesday (February 3, 2026!)! It is also the day when 20% of us no longer carry on with our new year's resolution, and another 40% will drop off on April 21. So, I have a question for you:

Which number one secular music hit song has the distinction of having the oldest lyrics?

The answer is “Turn, Turn, Turn" released by the folk-rock group The Byrds in the early 60s. The song was originally written by Pete Seeger in the late 50s using the words of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. And the words were originally written by King Solomon in the tenth century BC. I remember part of this!

Seeger wrote the song as a protest anthem—a time of war, and a time of peace. But Solomon’s motivation in writing it was different. Solomon was really saying, “I trust in you God. My life is in your hands.” He wrote Ecclesiastes while looking back on his life with all its challenges and events. His perspective was one of patience and trust in God’s plan and timing. There is time for everything that God has ordained. Our challenge is to wait on God and His timing to be revealed according to the prophet Isaiah. We always have plans for the coming year toward the end of the year and beginning of the next year. We call them new year's resolutions. But Solomon would say, "Wait on the Lord; submit your plans to God."

There is a time for everything. Many times, people enter the new year with a sense of regret over things that happened in the previous 12 months. But we need to remember this: God is the God of the future. He does not want us to dwell on the past but to trust Him for the future. As scripture says, "Do not remember the former things, do not consider the things of old. Behold I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth, shall you know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”

Isaiah told the captives in Babylon not to dwell on the past including their captivity in Babylon. Instead, he told them that he was going to do a new thing and deliver them from captivity in Babylon. He would make a road in the wilderness to bring them home. The same principle applies to us. We do not live in the past. We live in the present and look to the future for what God is going to do. As we prepare for the year ahead, let’s not dwell on the past. We need to believe that God has for us “a future and a hope.” We need to trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to his plan.

As I listen to the news and look at all the divisiveness on social media these days, I am hopeful that we can be more aware of our words during this upcoming year. There are just times when things need to be left unsaid. The following are some that I can think of off the top of my mind. If a person is not ready to receive the feedback, leave it unsaid. Especially when it won’t really make a difference. Or when it can hurt someone unnecessarily.

It seems to me at times that we write or speak the first thing that comes into our mind without considering if there is an alternative. We completely ignore that it goes against the boundaries a person has set—even when we know those boundaries. We do it intentionally knowing that it will make matters worse, almost as if we don’t care.

In today’s world, these situations surface when we don’t know the person or situation well enough. Or worse yet, we don’t take the time to get to know them. But worst of all is when our speaking or writing is motivated by revenge which seems to happen all too often these days.

Instead of being focused on correcting others, we should be focused on improving ourselves.

Here are some things that come to mind when I think about what I can do to make it a better world. Dream big but dream with people who believe in you. Forgive fast because grudges cost more than any business loss. Reflect honestly. Sometimes the lessons hurt, but they compound in a good way. Reconnect with those who love you. Not your social media people but your real people, your friends and family. Stop chasing goals all the time and start counting what already matters. Not just the wins. Not the revenue. Not things, cars, houses, account balances, etc. Celebrate the people who stayed with you when things got hard. Because big dreams plus the right people make everything possible.

Success alone plus an empty room is nothing worth celebrating. You do the math.

So, if you have already abandoned your resolution for 2026, try a big dream, celebrate the people in your life, make plans and be patient, listen first and speak later, don't take offense—knock the dust off of you, or have gratitude for the right things.