Guest Essay 

As I was contemplating new year’s resolutions, I observed that historically they’ve been all about me. What challenge I might take on. How much money I might make in my business. How I might look if I weighed less or exercised more. A lot of it, if I’m being honest, was about impressing people. I’m not saying those are bad goals. I did, in fact, set a “how I might look if I weighed less” goal this year and have no regrets. I’m not even saying it’s bad to want to impress people. That’s just human.
But in light of the fact that 2024 was the warmest year on record and the first to cross the 1.5-degree threshold over pre-industrial times (see note), I feel like we should all be thinking more about service.
And maybe, instead of setting resolutions that are solely about improving our lives, we should set goals focused on improving the lives of others as well. For example, my weight loss resolution is paired with an ongoing goal to transition to a vegan diet.
According to Project Drawdown, food, agriculture, and land use account for approximately 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Not only do ruminant livestock like cows and sheep “burp” methane (to put it politely), but clearing forests for grazing and animal feed production means that all together, the global emissions from eating meat and dairy globally exceed those from the entire United States. That means changing your diet is one of the most climate friendly changes you can make—even if you decide you don’t want to fully eliminate meat or dairy.
Nor do you have to limit yourself to a 1:1 ratio of “for me” and “for thee” resolutions. I’ve spent more than fifty years focused on improving myself. I figure I’ve got some catching up to do.
Not all of my service resolutions are as formal or specific as changing my diet. I like to keep a tight focus on the behavior changes that I think will make the biggest difference.
But I’ve set up processes to help me make other changes without having to think about it much. For example, despite working from home, our thermostat is set to 65 degrees during the day. I just bundle up and exercise whenever I get too cold.
(See how these things all work together? The beauty of it!)
Apparently, the second Friday in January is designated National Quit Day, because most people have already abandoned the goals they set. Maybe that’s because people are tired of the rat race capitalism encourages us to sign up for. They’re disappointed by the role models the media holds up and the pressure to be like them. There is a pervasive sense of emptiness, meaningless, and loneliness.
Here’s a secret. You can set a resolution to change any day of the year. So why not try a goal dedicated to serving others? Maybe we’ll change the world, maybe we won’t. But imagine if we could even just nudge the culture to value the collective as well as the individual. We can be the role models for the society we wish we had. Individually we might be invisible, as is only right given the focus, but that doesn't mean we're alone. With a service resolution, you know that someone, someday, would see you, the real you, the you you’ve always wanted to be, and they would thank you for your service. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like the making of a very good year, no matter what else happens.

*Note 1: Although the mean global surface temperature for 2024 was estimated to be 1.5 degrees Celsius over the pre-industrial average, that does not mean we have missed the climate target of 1.5 degrees. Because the temperature anomaly over pre-industrial times fluctuates, the threshold itself relies on a ten-year average. Unfortunately, that’s little consolation, because by the time the ten-year average exceeds 1.5 degrees, we will be experiencing individual years far above that.
*Note 2: In his latest newsletter, David Epstein, one of my favorite writers, offers a great summary of what the research says about setting goals you’re more likely to stick to. My friend Nate also sent me a great article about how poker players keep their resolutions. Both offer insights that would be helpful regardless of what kind of resolutions you’d like to make. 
Jen Gresham is a writer and coach living in Sacramento.