by Marnae Chavers
Marnae Chavers is an educator, yoga teacher, and wellness coach based in St. Louis, Missouri who centers seasonal alignment and intentional living in her work. Her writing explores sustainable growth, reflection and wellness practices rooted in lived experience and community care. She shares her work and offerings at serenitywellnessco.yoga. Find her @thewellness_educator on Instagram and TikTok.
Every January, we are encouraged to set timelines and resolutions with renewed urgency. New habits. New bodies. New productivity levels. But year after year, many of us quietly ask the same question: What do we actually gain from setting unrealistic goals rooted in pressure rather than self-awareness?
Nearly half of Americans set at least one New Year’s resolution each year, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The act of setting goals — even imperfectly — increases the likelihood of behavior change. However, these same sources highlight a steep drop-off in follow-through: over 22% of people abandon their resolutions within the first week, and more than half drop them within three months because they were based on unrealistic expectations. These patterns reinforce why traditional timelines — January 1st deadlines and rigid success metrics — often fail us. These numbers tell a larger story: it isn’t discipline we lack — it’s alignment.
As a chief operations officer at an inner city charter school district, yoga teacher and wellness coach — and as a Black woman navigating systems that often demand overperformance — I’ve tried nearly every method of goal-setting imaginable throughout the years: the “12-week year,” vision boards, time blocking — you name it. What I’ve learned is this: sustainable growth requires honoring our natural rhythms, identities and preferences, not resisting it to fit a larger, often capitalistic narrative that perpetuates our social media feeds each year.
In recent years, I’ve begun aligning my goals with the seasons. Living in the Midwest and having spent years as a teacher, I’m deeply familiar with cyclical systems of years, quarters and semesters. These rhythms quietly shaped how I now live my life. The method of planning and shifting with the seasons has allowed me to grow and change naturally, and with much ease, regardless of external demands.
For me, January and February are not for launching something new. They are a time for completion — wrapping up goals with clarity, focus and renewed intention. Spring carries creative energy, making it the ideal season to begin new projects. One spring-specific goal I set was launching a wellness series on social media that I had postponed for months. By March, the timing felt right, and the follow-through came naturally.
Also, as a yoga teacher, I’ve learned to respect and take heed of the natural times in which students and I want to exercise. In my experience, clients like to hibernate in the winter, and by summer, they like to be outside for brunch, cookouts and fellowship that all foster togetherness and kinship. Fall and early winter then become seasons of continuation, refinement and reflection.
This shift didn’t make me less productive. It made me more honest.
So, before rushing into the future, I strive to adhere to a wellness-centered approach that asks us to pause and look back.
Taking a bird’s-eye view of the year behind us allows space to acknowledge wins, recognize lessons and identify areas for improvement without judgment. Reflection transforms goal-setting from a harsh audit into a compassionate assessment. It reminds us that growth has already occurred, even if it didn’t look the way we expected.
From there, we can begin to dream.
Dreaming doesn’t always mean starting over. Sometimes it looks like carrying the torch for goals and dreams that worked well the year before. Other times, it means releasing what no longer fits. Both are valid. Wellness honors discernment and transformation, not constant reinvention.
Goal-setting also works best when it reflects how we naturally process information. For visual learners, creating a digital or physical vision board can help transform abstract hopes into tangible reminders. Visualization activates similar neural pathways as physical action, increasing confidence and motivation (Psychology Today). Some studies suggest that people who regularly visualize their goals report significantly higher follow-through and self-belief than those who do not. According to Forbes, only about 6% of adults actually follow through with their New Year’s resolutions long-term — meaning a whopping 94% abandon them within two months. This is where tools such as physical and/or digital vision boards can be supports.
For those who prefer structure, a monthly or seasonal goal list can offer grounding. For more spontaneous personalities, placing goals or intentions on slips of paper in a jar allows flexibility while still honoring commitment. And for those seeking simplicity, choosing a single word — such as aligned, intentional, or grace — can guide decisions without the pressure of checking off of a comprehensive list of things to do.
In many Black communities, vision-setting has long been both personal and collective. Vision boards, prayer journals and themed years are not trends — they are tools of resilience. In my work with Black women, I see how intention-setting becomes a way to reclaim agency, slow down urgency culture and prioritize wholeness over performance.
True wellness invites us to set goals across all areas of life — physical, intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and mental. It allows growth to unfold in layers rather than in response to deadlines.
The New Year isn’t just a starting line. It’s a checkpoint: a moment to reflect, reset and move forward with ease. You are not required to transform your entire life by January 1st every year. Sometimes the most radical resolution is allowing yourself the time and grace to grow — in season.