Why You Shouldn't Make New Years Resolutions... Yet!
Why You Shouldn’t Make New Year’s Resolutions — Yet
A smarter way to enter 2026, aligned with real timing
Every January we’re told to reset, recommit, reinvent.
And every January, most people quietly fall short.
Not because they lack discipline — but because they’re trying to initiate the future while still standing in an ending.
If you understand timing — Chinese Zodiac timing and Human Design timing — January reveals itself for what it really is:
A completion corridor. Not a launchpad.
We Are Still in the Year of the Snake — And That Matters
Despite what the Gregorian calendar tells us, 2026 does not energetically begin on January 1.
We are still completing the Year of the Snake until 16 February 2026, when the Lunar New Year transitions us into the Year of the Fire Horse on 17 February 2026, running through to 5 February 2027.
The Snake is not about speed or spectacle.
It is about:
shedding skins
releasing outdated identities
dissolving unconscious patterns
preparing the body and psyche for what comes next
The significance here is critical:
You don’t charge forward while you’re still mid-shed.
The Fire Horse that follows will bring:
energy
momentum
passion
independence
bold, outward movement
But that force becomes reckless — even destructive — if it’s built on unresolved material.
January, then, is not the mistake.
Rushing January is.
Why New Year’s Resolutions Fail (It’s a Timing Issue)
Research consistently shows that the majority of New Year’s resolutions fail by the end of January, with estimates suggesting up to 80% collapse by mid-February.
That isn’t coincidence.
January’s collective frequency is not designed for rigid commitments. It is designed for truth, friction, clarity, and release — which is exactly what the Human Design transits reflect.
Let’s walk the arc properly.
The Energetic Architecture of January — The Human Design Perspective
The Sun and the Earth unfold in six-day arcs, and in January each pairing of two gates builds toward the true reset point later in the month.
This is a process, not a race.
Gate 38 & Gate 39
Struggle and Provocation (December 31 to January 5)
In it's High-frequency expression, we experience:
meaningful struggle
fighting for what actually matters
emotional honesty
purposeful friction that wakes you up
In it's Low-frequency expression, we experience:
irritability
fighting everything
provocation without purpose
restless dissatisfaction
This is not intention-setting energy.
Gate 38 asks: What is worth the fight?
Gate 39 provokes what has been emotionally suppressed.
Trying to set goals here usually leads to rebellion against your own promises.
Contemplate
What am I still battling that no longer deserves my energy?
Where am I forcing motivation instead of listening to truth?
Gate 54 & Gate 53 (January 6 to January 11)
Ambition and Beginnings
High-frequency expression
soul-aligned ambition
evolutionary growth
clean beginnings
upward movement with integrity
Low-frequency expression
status chasing
starting too much
proving worth
ambition driven by fear
This phase introduces movement — but not mastery.
Beginnings here are tentative. They’re meant to be tested, not locked in.
Contemplate
Is this ambition rooted in purpose or validation?
What wants to begin softly, without pressure?
Gate 61 & Gate 62 (January 12 to January 17)
Inner Truth and Mental Order
High-frequency expression
inner knowing
inspired insight
clarity that emerges naturally
naming what’s true
Low-frequency expression
mental pressure
overthinking
demanding certainty too soon
mistaking answers for alignment
This is where insight crystallises — not where plans should harden.
Contemplate
What do I know without needing proof?
What truth is forming beneath the mental noise?
Gate 60 & Gate 56 (January 18 to January 22)
Limitation and Meaning
High-frequency expression
creative constraint
acceptance of limits
wisdom through lived experience
stories that bring coherence
Low-frequency expression
frustration with restriction
escapism
talking instead of integrating
resisting necessary endings
Gate 60 teaches that limits give shape to freedom.
Gate 56 reminds us that stories either liberate or trap us.
Contemplate
What limits am I being asked to respect?
What story about myself am I ready to release?
January 22–23: Gate 41 & Gate 31(January 23 to January 27)
The Human Design New Year
This is the energetic turning point.
Gate 41 — the pressure to begin a new cycle, the spark of desire.
Gate 31 — leadership, direction, influence.
Together, they mark the true internal beginning of the year.
This is when:
desire becomes clean
intention becomes directional
leadership emerges without force
If you wait until here, your intentions won’t require willpower.
They’ll already be aligned.
Why This Matters Even More Now: 2026 as a Threshold Year
As we approach the major collective shift in 2027, this year carries particular weight.
Richard Rudd has spoken powerfully about this transition in his Year of the Closing Door series, describing 2026 as a year of deep shadow release — a necessary clearing so unresolved patterns are not carried into the next era.
His message is clear:
What we refuse to face now becomes the weight we drag into the future.
2026, then, is not about reinvention.
It’s about completion.
The Real Invitation of January
Do not rush to declare who you’re becoming.
Use January to:
shed outdated identities
complete old emotional cycles
clean up energetic loose ends
tell the truth about what no longer fits
Let the Human Design New Year (22–23 Jan) bring clarity.
Let the Fire Horse (from 17 Feb) bring momentum.
When action comes — it will come clean, powerful, and sustainable.
That is how real change begins.
This is the moment to understand your design within the bigger cycles — book your personalised Human Design Alignment with full report and 1:1 mentoring session and let your next chapter begin cleanly.
