This website isn't for emergencies. If you're having a mental health crisis, please call or text the crisis hotline at 988.

Not for emergencies. Call/text 988 for mental health crisis.

midland wellbeing coalition logo

Wellbeing Life Hacks

Life Hack #52: The Power of Fresh Starts

Have you thought about what the next year will bring for you? Do you get energized by new beginnings? The research is mixed around the success rate of New Year’s resolutions, stemming in part from how success is defined and in part from the time frames measured. One thing seems to hold true though. The concept of fresh starts can be a very useful way to look at behavior change. Studies show that fresh starts can be a powerful motivator for us! New Year’s is perhaps the most obvious, traditionally-recognized fresh start, but fresh starts can come from lots of different places: a new hour, a new day, a new job, a birthday. Each of those fresh starts presents us with an opportunity to start anew. Fresh starts can be energizing, motivating, inspiring, and can help us to start a new habit with a clean slate. So what times in your life can serve as your fresh starts? What will you choose to do with them? Consider harnessing the power of fresh starts when you are looking to make a change in your life!

Life Hack Reflections:

  1. What is already going well in your current routines or habits that can contribute to a successful fresh start?
  2. How might embracing the idea of a fresh start improve your mental, emotional, or physical wellbeing?
  3. What barriers might prevent you from fully embracing a fresh start, and how can you address them?
  4. What specific area of your life feels ready for a fresh start, and what small steps can you take to begin?
  5. How can you use the momentum of a fresh start to reframe past setbacks or challenges?

Additional Resources

In 2025 we are highlighting weekly Life Hack Reflections which include five questions to help you better incorporate the Wellbeing Life Hack into your life in ways that work for you. If you would like to receive a weekly email with the Life Hack Reflections, register below.  

Why sign up for the weekly email?

“These questions have fostered a better team environment at work.”

Our dinnertime conversations are more meaningful now!”

“I like to journal and it’s been fun to work these questions into my nightly routine. I look forward to getting these emails each week. I often share them with my kids.”

Like This Life Hack? Share It!

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest