anything goes with emma chamberlain - do new years resolutions work?

Episode Date: December 28, 2025

[video available on spotify] i don’t know how i feel about new years resolutions. i do think there is value in taking time to reflect and manifest, but is making new years resolutions effective? today i’m going to look back at my past resolutions to see what worked and what didn’t. Learn more about Venmo Stash, visit http://www.venmo.com/stash-rewards Save Your WayTM from Hotels.com. Learn more at hotels.com/product/save-your-way/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

I don't know how I feel about New Year's resolutions. Like when I was a kid, I didn't care. And then when I was a teenager, I was kind of a punk, a rebel. And I kind of hated everything. And New Year's resolutions were no exception. I thought the concept was idiotic. My argument was, if you have something you want to change about your life, change it in the moment. Realize that there's an issue in April. Don't wait until January 1st to figure out what's wrong with your life. Do it throughout the year. Is that a valid? argument? Actually, yes. However, I think it's a bit of a nihilistic perspective. It's unnecessarily harsh on the concept of New Year's resolutions. And then in my early 20s, my heart warmed up a bit. I became a

little bit less rebellious, a little bit less of a hater, a little bit less nihilistic, and that's not just towards New Year's resolutions, I would say in general, but it also extended towards New Year's resolutions. And so starting in 2023 at age 22 for me, I started writing down New Year's resolutions again. Why? Well, because why not? I don't take New Year's resolutions that seriously. And to me, it seemed like a net positive. At best, I'm planting a seed in my brain for the rest of the year, potentially even manifesting for the rest of the year, starting the year mindfully, and at worst, you know, things fall through, doesn't work out, and like, who cares? I don't take New Year's resolutions that seriously, so I was like, it's not going to destroy my confidence

if I don't fulfill my New Year's resolutions. There seems to be no downside. I briefly interrupt this episode to let you know that this episode is presented by Venmo. Okay, hear me out. you can earn cash back with your Venmo debit card. All you have to do is join Venmo Stash in boom. You get cash back when you shop at your favorite brands. It's kind of an awesome flex. With Venmo Stash, you can get up to 5% cash back at your fave brands. Just pick a bundle of your go-toes to shop with your Venmo debit card and earn cash back at them. And you're free to mix things up. You can easily swap out your bundle of brands every 30 days. Start earning when you do more with Stash. Venmo Stash terms and exclusions apply, max $100, cashback.

back per month, see terms at venmo.me.me slash stash terms. Now back to the episode. I think I've also realized as I've gotten older that as responsibilities pile up in adulthood, it's actually more necessary to do things like make New Year's resolutions because I know for me anyway, I'll go months in the minutia of my life and forget to sit down and reflect. And I think that, there is value in moments like New Year's or birthdays to sit down and think and reflect and manifest and plant seeds, even stuff like the full moon. You know, I have some friends who write down manifestations every full moon. And does it make a difference that it's a full moon? I don't know. But it's an invitation to reflect and manifest and potentially plant seeds in the brain

that could blossom into gorgeous flowers. So I don't really think it's a bad thing. However, I don't know if it's really effective. And so going into 2026, I wanted to look back at my past New Year's resolutions and see what worked, see what didn't, and try to figure out where I stand on the whole thing. I personally, I think, think that it's harmless

and probably a net positive, at worst, maybe a net neutral, unless you're somebody who takes this stuff way too seriously and become obsessive with it. And if you don't fulfill every New Year's resolution, you beat yourself up. I usually beat myself up about stuff. With this, I don't for some reason. I think because statistically, New Year's resolutions usually fail. Wait, let me Google it.

I think it's like really high percentage of failure. Around 80% of people quit their New Year's resolutions by February. due to unrealistic goals, poor planning and a lack of accountability. That makes sense. So many people fail at New Year's resolutions that it makes me feel better if I don't follow through. It's like, well, clearly nobody is. So all good. But perhaps through reflecting on the last few years of New Year's resolutions, I can figure out what kind of resolutions work for me and make a really solid list of New Year's resolutions for this year. So without further ado, let's analyze. Let's analyze 2021, 2023, 24, and 2025's New Year's Resolutions,

starting with 2023. I was 23 years old, okay? First Resolution, find the hobbies that excite me and lean into them. I feel like I have, I should say, before I get into this, I can't remember what happened in what years, and I like to think of New Year's resolutions as not necessarily like,

this must happen by the end of this year. I like to think of it as like an intention going into life moving forward. So if by now, end of 2025, I've resolved these resolutions, even if it didn't happen by the end of 2023 or by the end of 2024, whatever, at least it happened eventually. And I can't remember when these things sorted themselves out. So I'm just analyzing if these things ever came true, period, end of story. You know what I'm saying? I'm not sticking to the, exact goal of the new year's resolution by the end of this year this will be accomplished i'm just i can't remember okay so relax i do think that i have hobbies at this point in my life that excite me and fulfill me and i also think i'm flexible with myself about them like i have certain things

that are a part of my day-to-day life like for example hot yoga i love hot yoga i'm obsessed you know, I do it multiple times a week. I'd consider that to be a hobby. That's something that has become one of my favorite hobbies. I've always been somebody who prefers physical hobbies, exercise, hiking, sports. Like, for whatever reason, I've always preferred that type of hobby. I stick to it much better. I have a hard time sitting still. And a lot of more artistic hobbies require a lot of sitting. And I already sit a lot in my life. And so those hobbies tend to stick less, more fleeting phases. But I even have participated in a lot of sedentary hobbies over the last few years. I've gotten into watercolor, sewing. I did get into guitar for a second and then I quit again.

I'm just the worst. I really thought it was going to stick the last time I got into it and it really did. It's fine, though. It doesn't matter. I definitely do feel like I have hobbies in my life. And I think the key to it for me has been letting it be intuitive, not forcing myself to participate in hobbies for the sake of having hobbies. Why is that such a tongue twister? I've just let myself enjoy hobbies when I'm in the mood for them. And I think that was what was getting in the way of me truly enjoying hobbies prior was that I was forcing myself to participate in them because I was like, I need to do this. I need to have a life outside of my work, outside of my social life. I need to have hobbies. I need to have things that make me dynamic and interesting. And the problem was I was forgetting what the point of a hobby is. It's supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be enjoyable. And you don't have to participate in a hobby every single day to enjoy it and to have it be one of your hobbies. You can enjoy it whenever you're in the mood. Sometimes I go through a sewing phase. Sometimes I go through a watercolor phase. Sometimes I go through a watercolor phase. sometimes I go through like a fashion phase where I just want to like research fashion. Sometimes I'm too tired for hobbies altogether. It doesn't matter. There's no rules when it comes to hobbies. And I think allowing myself that freedom allowed me to participate in hobbies, but it took a while. I don't think I accomplished that in 2023. I think I probably accomplished

that late 2024, maybe even 2025. Like I feel like I really got into my hobby flow state, which is not even really a flow state. It's like on and off whenever I feel like it, probably in this last year. Okay, New Year's Resolution, 2023. Number two, I wrote down, resilience against the internet. Stop being so scared of it.

Have fun with it. So that's the thing. So here's the thing about that. I still struggle with that. I still struggle with that. Have I made improvements? Yes, but I would say not in 2023. Like, that happened probably again in the last year.

And even still, I have a lot of work to do. But I think this was sort of an unrealistic New Year's resolution. Like, I've come to realize that the rational response to the unusual situation that I'm in being a public figure is to be a little bit afraid of it. That's actually fair and valid. It's rational. Because it's this big beast.

It is a scary thing. And to be scared of it is normal. It's unnatural. And it can get really scary, really quick. So I think the expectation for myself to just get over that fear, it's like, yeah, but that's actually a valid fear. I think that's why that resolution didn't come true in 2023, because that wasn't the right way of phrasing it.

I think I've loosened up a lot over the last year, I would say, through. accepting the fact that this is a scary thing and that I am afraid of it, but that it's more miserable to be afraid of it and to run away than to just say, you know what, I'm afraid, but I'm going to do it anyway and just see what happens and take it day by day. And that's kind of where I'm at with it now, because I spent so long being so afraid to do anything or say anything on the internet because I was just so afraid of being attacked or something. I don't I just was constantly living in fear. And I still live in fear of the internet all the time. But it was so much worse to be scared and then to censor myself. It's much less miserable to be

scared, but then to just be myself anyway and not censor myself. Just let loose. And so I would consider myself much more loose these days, but that's happened in the last year. And I think it's less about not being scared anymore and more about accepting the fact that this is scary and accepting the fact that I'm going to be scared sometimes, but doing it anyway. I don't know. Okay, moving on. Next resolution I wrote down. Use social media for posting instead of looking. Retrain my brain to go to healthier sources of entertainment when I'm bored. I have successfully, I would say, done this. I mean, I love YouTube. I'm going to watch YouTube forever. I don't, I grew up watching YouTube. It's like in my blood. It's in my DNA. It's like who I am.

to go to YouTube as a source of entertainment. Do I take it too far sometimes? Yes. Do I then have to create strict boundaries for a period of time? Yes. But I would say in general, I'm doing much better than I was in 2023, okay? Or 2022, I guess when I wrote those resolutions. Because in 22, I was addicted to watching TikToks. Addicted. I would spend probably three hours a day watching TikToks. And I don't do that anymore. Do I watch YouTube shorts sometimes? Sometimes, but not for three hours a day, maybe for like 30, anywhere between 30 minutes a day to like an hour a day. And an hour would be like if I really had a rough day and I'm laying in bed at the end of the day and I'm like, fuck it. I'm going to watch a YouTube short. But like, I don't

know. I just, I'm not really as addicted to YouTube shorts. I was like really addicted to TikTok. The algorithm is just built different. But during the day on the weekend, if I'm bored, I do not go on TikTok, you know. I don't go and watch. YouTube videos. I'll do a watercolor. I'll go to a flea market. I'll go to a farmer's market. I'll cook something. I do think I've successfully retrained my brain to not go to scrolling for entertainment unless it's like the end of the day and I'm really exhausted and I really think I've earned it. So I think I have absolutely succeeded at that. I don't know when that happened. I can't remember the timeline, but it happened. Next, I wrote down,

associate less of my self-worth in my physical body, find it in my heart and mind. I mean, this is an ongoing struggle for me. I think because I'm a public figure, I see what I look like all the time. There are going to be moments for me where my physical appearance has a bit too much of a control on how I see myself. But I will say, I've improved on it a lot since in 2022, 2021, I was not in a good place with this. And I've made some major improvements. Does that mean that I don't care about what I look like anymore? No. No. Does that mean I don't pay attention? No. Does that mean if I look kind of like shit, it totally doesn't bother me? No. You know, I'm a human being. And people are constantly looking at me and I'm constantly looking at me and I'm constantly

at me because of my job. And so it's, yeah, it's tough. There are moments where I still struggle with this, but I've definitely made improvements. And I think I've made improvements. Honestly, I kind of chalk it up to just maturing. And I don't know if that's accurate, but I don't really feel like I did anything actively to fix that problem. I think as I've grown older, I've realized that my physical appearance isn't that important. I don't know. I think as I've gotten older, I've realized how complex beauty is just through life experience, you know, it's not just being hot stereotypically, you know. It's not just fitting into the beauty standard perfectly. Like there are people that are, it's, there's so much

more to that. And the older you get, the more you realize, oh, there's so many different ways to be hot and beautiful and whatever. I don't know. You just, it just changes. your perspective changes and you realize that physical appearance only matters so much. What really matters the most is what kind of person someone is and that wins every race. It wins every race. You know, you can be the most hot, stereotypically hot, beautiful model hot. If the personality sucks, no one's going to want to hang out with you. And I think realizing that might sound It might sound a bit like, icky. I can't tell if it's icky what I'm saying, but I'm just being real.

Once I realized that, I was like, oh, that's the most important thing. And yeah, I think it was maturity, to be honest, just shifting of priorities, a deeper understanding of the bigger picture and what really matters. And I think it just kind of happened naturally. That's at least what I think. Okay, next, I wrote down, be more thoughtful about how I spend. my money. I don't know that this happened in 2023, but it definitely did happen long term. I used to be addicted to shopping, addicted to buying clothes. And was I spending super recklessly? Not necessarily.

Like it wasn't even about expensive items. It was more just about having a lot of items. And that was an issue. And I would say in 2024, I really hit my limit. I was like, I can't live like this anymore. I can't live with this amount of clutter. It also feels so wasteful. It's just wrong. I need to change the way I consume. And I successfully did. I donated a large portion of my closet, scaled it down to just what I love most and what I know I will wear on a consistent basis.

And I started buying smarter. I just take my time these days. you know, I don't impulse buy anymore. I don't buy clothes unless they're absolutely perfect or like super rare and, you know, I can tailor them and make them perfect or whatever. I don't allow my closet. Like my closet, the amount of clothes in my closet has barely changed since I got rid of, you know, 90% of my closet a year or two ago. I've just really slowed down and I've learned to enjoy fashion without buying clothes. And it was hard. You know, I'd, to make a real decision. I really had to make a lifestyle shift, but I think what allowed it to happen

was the relief of having a manageable amount of items, not having clutter around me. It felt so good to have a normal amount of clothing in my closet where I could wear and utilize every single thing in there because I didn't have so much shit. It was like impossible to find anything or create anything. And even in like my kitchen cupboards, like only having the necessary things that I need, like, I don't need three lemon squeezers. You know what I mean? That's clutter. There's somebody else who could take advantage of that. I don't need three of them. Like only having what I need, and definitely even more than what I need, by the way, but like just having a normal amount of stuff. I just had, I always had too much stuff. And I think it felt so good to let go of

that then it was easy to not just fill my home back up with shit again because it felt so good to have the perfect amount of stuff for me. So I will say that that did eventually come true. Next, I wrote down, make more time slash prioritize projects that excite me. This has always been a struggle just because I tend to put too much on my plate. I will say that I did not succeed at that in 2023. because I just take too much on and I think I can do it all and leave time for me to do, say, creative projects that maybe aren't as lucrative or this or that. But I usually end up burning myself out with, you know, things that like I have to do. Say there's like a contract in place or this or that.

You know, and then there's no energy left at the end of the day to do more personal projects. So, yeah, I would say I definitely didn't do that in 2023. Mm-hmm. But that's not to say that, like, I didn't do anything inspiring or exciting or awesome in 2023. It's just that I think what I meant by that was like, I want to work on things that are incredibly soulful for me. And I don't think I did that necessarily. I mean, maybe I did. I don't think I did that in 2023. I think more of that stuff came later. Maybe in 2024, 2025. But I don't think I did in 2020. Next, spend more time being grateful for the present

moment rather than stressing about the future. Eke, I still struggle with that. I still struggle with that. I'm probably going to put that on my 2026 New Year's resolutions because I am very anxious. I'm very paranoid. This is the type of person that I am and I'm constantly ruminating about the future. I think the reason why this might be a slightly more complex New Year's resolution is that I think this challenge that I have is not rooted in like, it's not a lack of mindfulness that's leading to this. Rather, I think it's

actually just kind of having maybe a bit more of severe psychological issues. Like, it might be a little bit of OCD, which I did have in 2023, although I didn't really know what was going on then. Severe anxiety, which I had in 2023. It's like these are things that are a bit more complicated, right? It's not just like a little, I mean, mindfulness helps, but I think I'll give myself a little bit of grace because I think at the time. I was like, I just need to be grateful for the present moment. What am I doing? I'm so anxious all the time. Worried about the future. It's like, because you have a little bit, you got some serious stuff going on in the brain, girl. You know what I mean? So I give myself grace that we're still working through that. Next, I wrote down something so service level. I said,

try to get more work done while walking on the treadmill. I actually have been doing that ever since. That was kind of a life-changing discovery for me because my job is so sedentary. I sit so much I'm constantly sitting, typing, editing, writing, doing random shit on a computer sitting down. And that doesn't feel good, you know, causes back pain. You end up not moving all day. It's miserable. It was miserable for me. And it was making me kind of depressed. And so I decided, like, you know, I'm going to start getting some of my work done on the treadmill. And I did get into that. And it has changed the game for me because it just... I don't know. It gets me moving while I'm working. It's good. It's good. So that was good. I did do that. Oh, God. And the last one is another thing that I don't even know I wrote this down as a New Year's resolution because this is like a much bigger issue than like, oh my God, this year we're going to fix this.

It's like, no, this is going to be a lifelong battle. I wrote down, stop getting overly attached to people I love out of fear of losing them because I have such an unusual life. Try to find peace confidence in fulfillment within myself. I will say I do think I've improved on this in some ways. I will say like when it comes to dating, I think that this particular New Year's resolution was written with romantic relationships in mind, even though this is an issue I struggle with beyond romantic relationships.

I will say, I don't think that I am overly attached with romantic relationships anymore. I can let them come and go much easier now in my life than I used to. But when it comes to, like, my friends and family, I don't know. I don't think I'm, like, overly attached to the point of being clingy, but, like, I have a lot of anxiety about their well-being. And that's something I really struggle with. When it came to dating and relationships, I was worried about their well-being, but I was

more worried about them breaking up with me, you know? Like, that was kind of the place I was in. And I don't feel that way anymore. And even when I felt that way, I wasn't clingy. I wasn't outwardly showing that I felt that way. It was a very personal battle, and it caused me a lot of anxiety. I think I've resolved that. Now I'm like, a breakup, no worries.

Now what I'm anxious about is something bad happening to people I care about. And that's something that is going to be a lifelong battle for me. And, you know, maybe I'll figure it out. But that segment of this resolution, it's like, ooh, that's a big one. You know what I mean? That's a big one. Don't know that I'm going to be able to just like get over that in a year. I think that's going to take a bit more time.

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Only at Hotels.com. Save your ways available to loyalty members in the U.S. and UK on hotels with member prices. Other terms apply. See site for details. Now back to the episode. Let's move on to 2024. This year, I only had six New Year's resolutions and they're all, like, honestly, so surface level. 2023 was clearly a year of existential thoughts, philosophical thoughts. 2024, I was like, fuck it, I don't care. New Year's Resolution, number one, read more books. Did I do that? No.

Nope, I didn't. I find that it's very hard for me to really get into a consistent routine of reading because by the end of the day, I cannot work anymore. I can't turn a page. I can't comprehend. I don't want to comprehend. By the end of the day, I want to just be fed something.

And reading doesn't feed me, you know? Like reading to me is a wonderful activity. However, it is work for my brain. And at the end of the day, I don't want to work. I want to just rot. I think that I'm just not in a phase of my life right now where having a consistent reading routine makes sense. You know, I read a lot of articles and things like that

to help stay up to date with the zeitgeist for this podcast, honestly. And I'm constantly, like, writing for this project. I just, I don't know. There's something about this phase in my life. I'm just, I'm too exhausted by the end of the day to read a book. And I think if I want to start reading more consistently, I need to actually schedule that into my life. So maybe 2026 is the year, but I think that that's what the issue has been in the past, why I have not read more books when that's been a New Year's resolution for me, because spoiler alert that was also a new year's resolution for 2025 but we'll get into that it hasn't happened either of those years because i'm too tired i need to like actively make a plan i need to

actively make time i actually need to work i have to remove work from my plate i can't i have to make structural changes to my work life if i want to read more that's the only way it's going to happen and i realize that now and so that's something to think about next i wrote down watch more movies for 2024. Did I watch more movies? I actually think I did. Did I like it? No. I didn't. Like maybe a few times I did. But to be honest, it's very rare that I like a movie. But when I like one, I love it. But I think my challenge with movies is that I never know what to choose and I never know what I'm no like. And it's such a commitment to just end up disappointed a lot of times. But I was watching movies in 2024 socially, you know, with a boyfriend at the time. That helps. And I think that's why I

actually did accomplish that goal. Because I was like, can you just choose the movie? I don't want to think about it. Let's just put it on. You know what I'm saying? But I wanted to watch more movies because I think movies are a high quality form of entertainment. A lot of times, you know, you need to pay attention and be patient. A lot of good movies, you know, can have slow moments and stuff. That's not always true. But like, I don't know, some beautiful movies are slow. And I just thought it'd be good for my brain to get into movies. But I didn't really get into them on a personal level. I was kind of forcing it. And I did have some fun times going to the movie theater and watching movies at home, and I saw some good movies. But for whatever reason, it's never been something that I've naturally

been super inclined to consume, whereas, like, really good YouTube videos that are really well made or amazing documentaries. Like, that's always been something I'm more interested in naturally. But I, you know, I don't know what it is. So odd. But anyway, I think the goal of like watch more movies, it's like, I feel the same way about movies that I do about hobbies. It's like, that should serve you. It should call to you. If there's like a commercial for a movie and it looks really good, you're going to want to see it. Like, forcing yourself to do an activity like that doesn't, it feels like it defeats the purpose of the activity. Like, movies at the end of the day are entertainment. And if I'm not drawn to movies, if it's like a chore to watch movies, like why do it? But then at the same time, I think there's a lot to learn from movies for me as somebody who loves making YouTube videos.

And obviously YouTube videos and movies are very different. But it's like there's value in the way that like, oh, what music did they choose for this type of moment? Or like how did they set up a shot like this? And even though, again, a YouTube video is so casual compared to a movie, it's still, there's a lot to learn from that. And so I think that was probably my intent when this was my New Year's resolution as well was like, how can I learn from it too? And in that case, it being more of a chore is more valid. It's like, well, but it's potentially helping me improve and learn in my creative outlet, if you will. But I don't feel like I've really learned much from any movies that I, I don't know. I don't know. Maybe I have. I don't know. I don't know

how to feel about my relationship to movies. And I'm not shitting on movies as a whole. Like there's a bazillion types of movies. And there are a lot of great movies. And then there's also a lot of bad movies, as with all things. But yeah, I don't know. I have a complicated relationship with it. But my God, do I love a good movie? You know what I'm saying? Like when I, oh, to sit down and watch an amazing movie is the best. I love a movie when it's good. It's just finding the good movies that stresses me out. Same thing goes for books. It's very hard. Anyway, my next New Year's resolution only go on social media to post. Okay. Did I do that? Sort of. But I still, Yeah, I mean, I think, as I mentioned earlier, over the years, I've gotten much better about

not scrolling. So I would say that happened. Next, work at desk, not in bed. That was, yeah, well, if I remember correctly, I used to split my working in between treadmill and bed. And so I guess in 2024, I was like, no, treadmill and desk. No more working in bed at all. And I actually, for the most part, have completely stopped working in bed, unless I'm really going through, it. When I'm really going through it, I'll work in bed. Because it's just like, you know what, I just need to get whatever the fuck I need to get done. And if that means laying in bed, that means laying in bed. It doesn't matter. I just need to get it finished. But I stopped working in bed because I would like work for six hours in bed. And the next thing I knew, it was 930. And it was

like, wait, now I have to go to bed in my bed. This sucks. You know, I succeeded at that. And that has improved my life. Next, I said, manage my time better, improve my overall productivity so that I have more time to experiment in my life. I will say I do think I managed my time better starting in 2024, but I think I really hit my stride in 2025. I think I was the most productive I've ever been in 2025, but I think the seed was planted in 2024, and I did start to improve in that area.

And I think a lot of that was just mindfulness in planting the seed. And then as I was making decisions from that point forward, it was like, hmm, remember. So that was a productive New Year's resolution. And last but not least, for 2024, I wrote down, learn a bunch of new things. Did I learn a bunch of new things? No.

No, I don't think I did. But again, I think that's because learning new things is really time consuming. And I think just writing down, I'm going to learn new things. It's like, you got to. to make a plan. You've got to carve out time. If you want to really learn something, that's a huge commitment. And I think that's why that did not come to be because I just didn't make a plan.

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I think I already had a pretty good understanding of what my goals were in my life and career. And I think in 2025, I was just like, okay, we're just going to maintain these and let them guide. And I think I did that. Next 10,000 steps per day. I'm impressed. I'm impressed with myself. I'm proud of myself. I got 10,000 steps a day almost every single day this year. And if I didn't get it one day, I, like, made up for it later in the week. I hit 10,000 steps almost every single day. My average for the year, let's look. My average step count for the year is 11,645.

Now, the year before that, 6,000. The year before that, 4,700. The year before that, 5,000. The year before that, 4,500. The year before that, 3,500. the year before that, 4,200 the year before that. It's crazy that it goes back this far.

4,200. You get the idea. I was not hitting even close to 10,000 before. And last year, above 10,000 is my average. That's fucking fire. And I will say walking to this extent has had a really positive impact on my life, whether it's because I have learned to multitask,

you know, work and walk, which is so much more enjoyable, sitting down and working is sometimes really nice and sometimes it's like I'm stiff and my back hurts and I like, this is uncomfortable and I'm, I just, it doesn't feel as good. But also I've participated in more walking hobbies, like walking related hobbies, like hiking, for example.

That's pretty much the only one I can think of. I've gotten into the routine of walking outside a lot, you know, going for walks outside just to get fresh air, which I think was inspired by like, oh, I have to get 10,000 steps today. how am I going to get there? It's inspired me to do things I wouldn't have otherwise. Working and walking, going for walks outside, hiking.

I don't know. I think it's at a really positive impact on my life, and I really love walking, and I use it as a time to reflect. I use it as a time to unwind. I use it as a time to socialize, talk to people on the phone. As I already said, 10 times get things done. It's just become a really nice part of my routine that keeps me moving and also is productive.

Like it's very productive and it keeps my brain moving. When your body's moving, your brain's moving. I don't know, it's good. Okay, next I said, be intentional about dedicating time towards things that are leading me closer to my ultimate goals

in my career slash life. I think this is always like a resolution, a goal, something that I'm working on. And so I feel like I wrote that down just to like reiterate that. I think that's kind of all of our goals all the time. So, like, what is there to say about that? I don't know. Did I do that? I actually think, yes. Could I be even more intentional? Yes, I think so. But I will say in 2025, I do think I took a lot of steps in the right

direction leading me towards my ultimate goals in life, whether that was career-wise, romantic relationship-wise. And I think the thing that's tough to recognize at times is that sometimes making intentional choices that lead you towards your ultimate goals don't seem like the right, like it doesn't seem like things are happening fast enough. Like, for example, one of my goals in life is to have a family, to have a partner, have a family. That's a huge goal of mine in my life. And so, but in 2025, I went through a breakup. Now, that doesn't obviously align with that goal. It's like you would think the goal, what would align with that goal would be to try to lock it down. But dating and it not working out is a part of the journey towards finding the right partner.

And so making that decision to end that relationship, it doesn't feel like I took a step in the right direction, but it actually is. And so that's something I struggle with at times, but I try to acknowledge the ups and the downs and the journey as being all a part of the journey. And career-wise, like, something I've been trying to return to for many years is like, I want, you know, this, I want to go back to, like, making more YouTube videos and stuff like that. And I've had so many challenges with getting back to that in a way that's consistent and feels right to me. And this year, I took a lot of steps in the right direction to making more time to return to self like I've wanted to for so long. But did I fully get to where I want to be? No. But that's not something. something that can be done in one year. You know, that New Year's resolution is going to move onto my 2026 New Year's resolutions probably, and probably indefinitely for the rest of my life. Like, that's a resolution that I don't think you ever fully resolve, being intentional and working towards your ultimate goals. It's like, do you ever, when do you get there? You know, it's an ongoing journey forever. So putting that on my list of New Year's resolutions,

it's like, okay, that's like a big one. That's not going to get resolved this year. Next, I said, by the least amount of stuff possible, consume less. I definitely did that. I definitely did that. I think my consumption has gone down progressively every year. I feel like I consume less and less, which is great and feels good. And it's kind of just a part of my lifestyle now. Now that I'm not addicted to shopping anymore, it's quite easy for me to just buy things

mindfully. And also, my choice to not impulsively buy things is constantly being reinforced by the relief that comes with not having too much stuff. So it's like kind of a gorgeous situation where I enjoy the feeling of not having too much stuff so much that it makes it easy for me to not go out and buy junk. Next I wrote down, read more fucking books please. We already discussed why Emma is struggling to read her books. Okay. So if I really want that to happen, I'm going to have to really carve some time out. And my last 2025 new year's resolution is the same as 2024, learn a bunch of new things. Maybe for real this time,

LOL, I wrote that down. I'm so silly on my New Year's Resolution list. As I said, it's like reading books and learning new things. If I really want to do that, I need to carve time out of my schedule. I need to make time to put energy towards those things. Because what I've realized is we almost have like a set amount of discipline and energy that we can put towards working on things. And I'm I'm sorry, but reading and learning new things, that's work. It can be amazing and fun and awesome, but it also is work. And so I use all of my energy towards working, which working also does teach me new things for sure, but, you know, and I do read things as well, but it's like not what I'm talking about here. I only have so much energy. It feels like I have finite energy to dedicate

towards these things, and I hit my limit. And then it's like, but once I hit my limit, it's like, oh, well, I've been working all day and I didn't, I hit my limit and now there's no time for anything else that requires that kind of energy. So going into 2026, if I want to make that shit happen, I need to carve out the time. So I just need to think about that if 2026 is the year. From analyzing all of these New Year's resolutions, I've realized that the more specific, the better, like 10,000 steps a day, walking. It's like there's a number that I want to hit every day. And I've figured out ways to like integrate it into my life and my routine. That's a great example. Or like, buy less stuff. It's like, I mean, that's obviously hard to quantify. It's like hard to, but that's just like a mindset. And it's easy to act upon because you know when you're buying stuff. It seems like the New Year's resolutions that were less productive were ones that were either too broad or they weren't really thought out, like watch more movies. It's like why and how and what's the reason? What's the exact reason? And what kind of movies?

And what's the intention of watching the movies? I think the key to New Year's resolutions is realistic goals, clear understanding of the reasoning for the resolution, and making a plan. I think that's the key. I haven't written my 2026 New Year's resolutions yet, but I will. And maybe I'll share those. Maybe I'll share them at the end of next year, and we can see if I followed through. Because I sometimes get sort of superstitious about saying things out loud before I do them.

So we'll see if I get over that and make an episode of my New Year's resolutions or if I have a mental breakdown and don't. Anyway, well, that's it for today's episode. I hope that you enjoyed it. 2025 was such a wonderful year with you all. I really, really enjoyed making episodes, podcast episodes for all of you and hanging out with you all twice a week, which I have some good news and some bad news. Anything goes. We'll be going down to one episode a week in 2026. Why? because I need to make more time for other mediums of entertainment. Listen, I love making the podcast, but two episodes a week takes up a lot of my time that I could be dedicating towards making YouTube videos, making God knows what else. I want to diversify the types of entertainment that I put

out into the world. And I think going down to one podcast episode a week will help me do that. So moving forward, new episodes every Thursday, tune in all the same places that anything goes has ever been. Okay. Anything goes is on social media. Anything goes. I'm on the internet. I'm a Chamberlain and my coffee company is on the internet and in the world at Chamberlain Coffee. I really, really appreciate you all listening to anything goes this year and hanging out with me. It was such a joy. It was such a pleasure. I wish you all a happy new year and I send you all warm hugs going into it. I love you all. I appreciate you all. Happy new year. I will talk to you in 2026, baby. Talk to you then. 2026 is about to be a fucking vibe. Okay, now I have to knock

on wood. Okay, knocked on wood. So it won't be jinxed. Okay, see you next year. See you next year. Talk to you later. Love you. Bye.