RETRO FIND: Reporter’s 1985 resolution fail will have you laughing. 8% of people keep New Year’s resolutions. This reporter from 1985 was definitely not one of them.

For many, the new year means new goals, routines or mindsets. This collective moment of change with resolutions, despite its short-lived reputation, still has importance in a distracted world.

It can be fun to make New Year’s resolutions, but hard for most of us to keep them. Gyms, for example, get crowded in early January, but come February the determination of many begins to peter out.

Rather, failing our New Year’s resolutions benefits us by interrupting our unsustainable desire for constant improvement and encouraging more reflection and intentionality with our goals. The story of ...