How to be a better version of yourself

It’s that season when many of us think about how next year will be different to this one. Many make some form of New Year Resolution. It is the time when gym memberships sell and healthy food providers’ profits go up. We can be full of motivation that we can be better versions of ourselves in some way.

Yet most New Year Resolutions end poorly. We mean well, really. We want to be different. Yet we cannot do it. Too often, our aspirations stay as, well, aspirations. Wishful thinking rather than concrete changes.

Christians are no different to anyone else in wanting things to be different and better in our lives. Our faith brings another aspect into play: we want to honour God more in our lives. We want to be better servants, more faithful pray-ers, more committed in our local church, and more active in our Christian growth and evangelism. Yet even these godly aspirations often stay as good ideas rather than new habits.

I need to say that it is a great thing to want to be more godly. It is something the Spirit does in the heart of every Christian. We should want this and work wisely towards it. It is right to be intentional in how we live. If we don’t think about what we are doing, nothing will ever be different from how it is right now.

While none of these tips are perfect, let me give you a little advice when it comes to making changes to your life:

1. Be realistic and sustainable. The problem with making big changes this quieter time of year is that normal life is far less flexible. Sure, you might be able to read the Bible for an hour a day now; how about when work starts again or the kids go back to school? Better to be shorter and regular and sustainable, than to aim too high and never be able to keep it going.
2. Work on the right things. If you’re a Christian, be honest about what needs to be better. Don’t only aim for more money or career progression. As Jesus warned in another context, even the pagans run after these things. Instead, seek God’s kingdom first. Ask how you can serve Jesus better with your gifts. Consider how you can grow in understanding or humility or grace.
3. God promises to give us wisdom if we ask. So ask! Be thoughtful and wise in how you choose to live your life.
4. Change one thing at a time. All of us have multiple lifestyle things we want to change. Yet if you try to change your diet, your prayer life, your church service, and your reading all at once, the likelihood is that nothing much will change. Start with one thing. Work on that for a month, building new habits and getting them regular. And then move to something else.
5. Look for accountability. This could be some kind of habit tracker so you can see how you are going with the change. It could be meeting and talking with a friend regularly to see how you’re going. This can radically increase the chance of real change.

Let me give you an example. Say you want to start a regular prayer habit that you have always meant to have but never seem to have time for. This is clearly a godly thing to want. We should pray for God’s help with it. We should be realistic: maybe set aside 10 minutes, the same time every day, three times a week to start with. Make a list of things to pray for. Mark the time in your diary or to-do list, and check it off when it is done. Once this has been going for a while and has become a habit, you might want to do it more often, or longer, or to include prayer for different things. Start small and regular. The new habit will glorify God and build your faith in many ways.

Let’s serve God as best we can in 2026. None of us are who we want to be, but we can be wise in serving Jesus with whatever He has given to us.