By Vaishnavi Shukla

January 1 came and went. We celebrated the beginning of a new year, new outlook on life and perhaps a sigh of relief and confidence that NOW is the time I will start working on my goals. Today is January 7. A week went by. How many of us stuck to our goals, really? How many of us were able to tick off every single goal from our to-do list? How many of us could sleep well at night knowing that you are “back on track”?

Definitely not me. I decided a few things too. And I have a very bad experience with this stuff. I always want to start working on something on a Monday or the first of the month or the 15th of the month or my birthday or the mid of the year. And I always fail. My definition of failure is not being able to stick to what I had planned for myself, though it may not always have been my fault. I failed miserably this time too. And I had so many hopes for this year. I did not make a vision board or anything, but I had a vision of how this year would pan out. And I failed. So am I allowed to press the reset button and calm myself down and start fresh again from tomorrow?

Somewhere along the way, we decided that resolutions must be followed perfectly from January 1, or else they don’t count. Miss one workout? Cancelled. Eat one cookie? Whole plan ruined. Skip meditation for two days? Might as well give up inner peace.

That’s not discipline—that’s drama.

Progress is messy. Growth includes pauses, detours, and restarts. Missing a day, a week, or even a month does not erase the intention behind your goal. It only highlights one truth: you are human. When the plan collapses, self-blame steps in. But blaming yourself doesn’t build discipline—it drains energy. There’s a big difference between accountability and punishment. One keeps you stuck. The other helps you reset.

You can reset on:

• January 11
• A random Wednesday
• Right after reading this sentence

A reset doesn’t require a new year, a Monday, or a perfect mood. It requires honesty and compassion. Pressing reset means:

• Letting go of the all-or-nothing mindset
• Adjusting goals instead of abandoning them
• Starting where you are, not where you “should” be

If January didn’t go as planned, you’re not behind. You’re simply on a different timeline. You don’t need to blame yourself for slipping. You don’t need to wait for the next year to try again.

Pause. Reflect. Reset. And move forward—one imperfect step at a time.

Real progress isn’t an unbroken streak. It’s showing up again after you disappear for a bit.

So yes, I can restart. I will begin working towards my goals with a fresh start and if I struggle along the way (I know, I will), I will take a PAUSE and not QUIT. We are humans. Let’s accept that and move forward. Let’s not self-sabotage our progress because it didn’t meet our “standards”.