Did you make a new year’s resolution for 2025?

Full confession…I didn’t. According to U.S. News and World Report, around eighty percent of new year’s resolutions fail by mid-February. That expensive Peloton? For lots of Americans, it’s collecting dust. That special edition of the Iliad? It’s sandwiched between a beach read and a decorative candle. That upscale cookware from Williams Sonoma? At least it makes a mean macaroni and cheese.

Don’t make new year’s resolutions. Despite our best intentions, attempting to change our habits on January first is a fool’s errand. Our routines are out of whack from the holiday season. We’ve been grazing dessert tables. We’ve had time off from work. Our sleep schedules are off. Our rhythm is disrupted. Don’t get me wrong, the holiday season is a magical and wonderful time of year…except when it comes to improving our habits and routines. We need cognitive, emotional, and physical resources to re-sync into a rhythm, build momentum, and reap the benefits of a normal sleep schedule. When we add a lofty new year’s resolution on top of that, our willpower is shot by mid-February. Kaput. Dead in the icy water.

Instead of resolutions, make goals. Resolutions are aspirational. Resolutions are major overhauls of the interior design of our minds and hearts. They’re the projects that never quite get done. A resolution feels out of reach. The word “resolution” is a multi-syllabic word salad we’re ready to ditch at the first whiff of Casey’s taco pizza. Not so with goals. When crafted right, goals are specific, measurable, and attainable. When we succeed, “GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL” feels so good to shout.

In 2024 I wanted to get more courtroom experience for the newer prosecuting attorneys on my staff. Trying a case is intimidating and cumbersome. Ninety percent of trial work occurs behind the scenes before and during the trial. The process is complex. The stakes can be life-altering. The challenge is incredible. Many attorneys are intimidated by the idea of trying a case. Some are downright afraid. It’s like jumping into a pit with a lion on a snowy day. That mindset doesn’t work for a prosecuting attorney’s office.

There was only one way to best the roaring lion. We had to get valuable trial experience for our newest attorneys. I set a goal with my staff: everyone tries at least one case in 2024.

That was my goal. It was specific and attainable.

It needed to be measurable. “To track our journey, every time we take a case to trial I’ll print out the verdict and put it in a frame,” I told my staff. They were motivated. Fired up. Ready to jump into the pit, dig their toes into the snow, and grab the lion by the mane.

I started with five picture frames. Six or seven trips to Hobby Lobby later, I set frame number twenty-three on a bookshelf in our office. Twenty-three trials is by far the most our office has prosecuted since I arrived in 2010. We didn’t just meet our goal…we crushed it. We pursued justice with passion, advocated for crime victims, and redefined our dynamic of what it means to be a team. It was an honor to be a part of, and I am proud of what we accomplished.

If I had to make a resolution for 2025, it would be a personal resolution to drink less coffee. I love coffee. It’s flavorful. It’s refreshing hot or iced. It’s caffeinated. But I would like to drink less of it. It’s expensive, and that first warm cup of dark roast shouldn’t be the centerpiece of the morning. I want to change my routine. To challenge my routine, I crafted a goal to go thirty consecutive days without coffee. A one-month coffee fast. Knowing I would need to be in a post-holiday rhythm to have a decent chance at success, I didn’t launch my coffee-fast on January first. Instead, I scheduled my launch date for January thirteenth.

The thirteenth arrived. Out of curiosity, I journaled some thoughts over the first handful of days.

Day One: Picture frames were easier. Maybe they’re on sale? Boy, do I have a headache.

Day Two: No headache today! Just a little groggy. Maybe it was bad sleep? Maybe it’s the lack of coffee? Whatever you do, don’t walk past the Keurig before nine AM.

Day Three: I walked past the Keurig this morning and didn’t brew a cup of Joe! It smelled really good though.

Day Four: The dynamic of my mornings does seem to be changing. Keep it up, Jordan.

If I can, you can. If you have a new year’s resolution and kept it, congrats and kudos. If you made a new year’s resolution and ditched it, don’t ditch the good intentions behind it. Pivot. Make a goal instead. Make it specific, attainable, and measurable. Remember that you don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to start on January first. You’re doing good if you’re moving in the right direction. When you meet your goal, make another. Then do it again. And again. When 2026 rolls around you’ll be able to look back on a year where you challenged yourself to be a better you. You’ll have jumped into a pit with a lion on a snowy day.

And it’ll be so satisfying to shout: “GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAL!”

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Jordan Gaffney is the Marshall County Attorney.