Two weeks into 2026 and I am curious; how are your resolutions going? Still enjoying the 5 a.m. reveille for CrossFit? Did you quit the job, dump the jerk, move away, get bangs and develop strong opinions about chia seeds?

Maybe you wrote your list on a napkin, or carefully doodled in a leather bound journal. Maybe you told your cat and hoped it counted. To keep things achievable this year, my resolution was to wear matching socks. With no holes. I am proud to report mixed results.

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Want versus Need

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New Year’s resolutions come in two flavors — what we need and what we want. We want to ascend: be healthier, more productive, more disciplined — to feel better. We need a new bike, to alphabetize the spices and streamline our schedule. Sometimes there’s overlap. We want and need to lower our LDL because it has entered the chat.

Goals start as hope and tend to curdle into a low-grade guilt loop. Deprivation masquerades as virtue. If resolution #3 was to save $10,000 for a rainy day and you fail, you don’t just miss the goal — you become the problem.

I have everything I need. Still, I want to see Eddie Vedder perform in Japan. I want to hike the 88 Temples of Shikoku. I could make a mean case for music and pilgrimage as essential to my well-being, but let’s be honest: these are wants, and wanting entertainment or adventure doesn’t mean something is missing.

Wait. Did you create resolutions because you’re missing something? Are they big things like friendship, or small like a new phone? Take the following peer-reviewed, double-blind, extremely scientific assessment.

Spoiler: you’re doing better than you think.

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The 2025 Score Card

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If you’re reading this, smile. Roughly 750 million adults — about 12% of the world — cannot read. 15 points

Are you employed, retired or collecting a pension? Go you! Over 6 million people are actively seeking work. 10 points

Did you have dinner last night? About 2.3 billion people lack reliable access to food. 10 points

Are you warm and dry? More than 800 million people do not have a place to call home. 40 points

Did you nap today without justifying it? Nearly 60% of full-time workers worldwide report feeling burned out. 50 points

Did you take a shower this week? Enjoy a hot cup of coffee? One in four people does not have access to clean water. 50 points

Did you sleep without the sound of bombs, gunfire or sirens? Hundreds of millions of people live in active conflict zones. 200 points

Did you show up to unscripted situations and hold it together for yourself or others? One in five adults worldwide is managing a mental health disorder. 125 points

Did you wake up today instead of being remembered by someone else? No points. Just pause for a second.

Score yourself!

¯ 0-200: Mostly Managing

¯ 201-375: Humanity Level: Competent

¯ 376-500: Existence MVP

Put the pencil down. Not bad, huh? Having your needs met doesn’t disqualify you for joy. Make a new list, not of what you need to change, but what would bring you happiness in your current state. You don’t need to crawl over a mile of broken glass to deserve hope.

Drink the celery juice, buy new socks — or maybe not. Either way, show up now as a slightly mismatched, delightfully human masterpiece. You’re not a before photo.