By January 10, most resolutions are already on life support. 

The gym bag is back in the corner. The macros tracker hasn't been opened in days. And the Duolingo owl keeps sending sad faces as it's been ignored.

And the worst part? We tell ourselves it's a discipline problem.

It isn't.

We don't need another resolution. Instead, we need a foundation.

The Resolution Trap

I used to be a resolution maximalist. New year, new me, new everything. I made a list of goals across my self-defined dimensions: physical, emotional, mental, financial and spiritual. I would write everything down in my new journal and feel good about having 365 more chances to get it done.

Lose 10 kilos

Read 52 books (because one new book a week sounds just right)

Learn a new language (¿por qué no?)

Finally organize all my paperwork since I became a full-fledged adult

By mid-January, I'd already missed the Pilates classes I've signed up for, abandoned the Duolingo owl, and the paperwork drawer? Still untouched.

The problem wasn't willpower. The problem was that I was stacking ambitious plans and not acknowledging that I didn't have the same level of energy.

What Happened When I Tried to Build Something That Lasts

2025 was supposed to be simple. Launch SECONDSPRING. Share what I learned about menopause. Help Filipino women navigate this transition without the ignorance and uncertainty I experienced.

Instead, it became a masterclass in learning how much I still didn't know.

Things I had to learn:

• How to be an entrepreneur after 30 years in corporate
• How to live in the Philippines again after years abroad (the traffic, the heat, the everything)
• How to work with my husband instead of alongside him (turns out marriage is easier when you're not arguing about brand positioning during breakfast)

But the biggest lesson surprised me:

You can't build anything meaningful on borrowed energy and the fantasy version of yourself you think you should be.

The Foundation That Actually Works

Every January, we ask the wrong question.

Instead of "What should I achieve this year?"

What if we asked: "What do I need to sustain me through this year?"

For me, that foundation comes down to three things.

Strength

Not the performative kind that looks good on a TikTok reel. Not pushing through pain to prove something.

Real strength is capacity—the ability to do what your life actually demands without constantly running yourself into the ground. Carrying bags of groceries or opening a stubborn jar.  Built slowly and consistently without the theatrics.

Balance

Not the myth where you're crushing work, health, relationships, and self-care simultaneously while looking effortlessly put together. That's nonsense.

Real balance is steadier energy. Clearer thinking, moods that don't swing like a pendulum and getting through the day without needing a nap just to survive it.

Glow

Not the Instagram kind.

The kind that comes from being nourished, rested, and supported from within. The kind no 12-step skincare routine or filter can fake.

These aren't aspirational. They're structural. The difference between wanting to run a marathon and making sure your knees work tomorrow.

The Small Change That Actually Matters

Big transformations don't come from big gestures. They come from small, sustainable changes you can actually maintain.

You don't need to overhaul your entire life.

You don't need to become a different person.

You don't need more time, more discipline, or more willpower.

You need one small change. Done consistently.

That's it.

Foundations aren't glamorous. They don't make for good social media posts. They won't transform you overnight.

But they're the difference between a structure that lasts and one that collapses the first time life gets hard. And in peri/menopause, life will get hard.

What a Foundation Looks Like in Real Life

It's not committing to 5 AM workouts when you were awake at 3 AM because you couldn't sleep. It's not cutting entire food groups, fixing your personality, or chasing the "best version" of yourself (I cringe when I remember that I used to say this to my direct reports).

In practice, foundation means:

• Supporting your body instead of punishing it
• Managing energy instead of just expending it
• Choosing one sustainable change instead of 10 impossible ones

Why This Year Can Actually Be Different

I won't suddenly develop superhuman discipline or magically get more hours in the day. But I can stop making plans that ignore the reality of my energy levels.

How many years have you spent trying to become someone you're not instead of supporting who you are?

I don't need another resolution. I need better energy for the life I already have.

I need support—not just willpower.

I need to nourish myself from within, not just focus on the surface.

Find the foundation that makes sense for you—and not just the MAC Studio Fix kind.

SECONDSPRING exists because too many women are being told to "try harder" during a phase of life that requires better support, not more discipline. Everything we create—content, conversations, and products—starts from that belief. No theatrics. Just foundations that last.