I don’t think this is just a me problem, but I often find myself wondering how we are already in the last quarter of 2025 (as I write this), when it feels like only yesterday we welcomed the new year. Time seems to slip by quietly, almost deceptively. Yet somehow, I still have so much I want to do — and never quite enough time to do it all. As I reflected on the imbalance between what I hope to achieve and the time I actually have, it became clear that I need to be more intentional about how I spend my days.
Reading Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals nudged me to think more deeply about what it truly means to live resolutely. In his book, Oliver points out that every time we choose to spend our time on something, we’re also choosing not to spend it on everything else we could have done. And when we make that choice consciously, we are taking a stand for what truly matters to us. That idea really stayed with me — because at its heart, resolute living is exactly that: making intentional choices, even small ones, that reflect what truly matters and letting those choices shape the rhythms of our days.
It’s funny how, once you start thinking deeply about something, you begin to see it everywhere. While reading the Gospel according to Luke in Luke 9:51, this theme came up again. Luke wrote, “As the time approached for Him to be taken to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” Although Jesus knew of the suffering that awaited Him in Jerusalem (He predicted His death several times on the way up), He did not waste time sulking or dreading what lay ahead. Instead, He used that time to heal the sick, set the demon-possessed free, restore sight to the blind, teach and pour into His disciples. Jesus was not frantic because the end was near; instead, He moved with intention.
In many ways, this is the essence of resolute living: knowing what matters most, calculating the costs, and still choosing to move forward. This kind of life is born from the courage to ask, What truly matters to me?And,What kind of life do I want to build? While these questions can be uncomfortable and the answers often don’t arrive fully formed, it is prudent to sit through the discomfort to find the answers if you are going to move with intention and build a life that reflects what you believe, not just what’s convenient or popular.
A resolute life is less about control and more about integrity. It is to live awake, making each decision, each commitment, a reflection of the life you mean to build. It asks for mindfulness — a return to purpose in moments of distraction. It asks for courage — the willingness to live by conviction rather than comfort. And it asks for grace — the patience to stay the course, even when progress feels slow.
So pause, and ask: What anchors me? When you find that answer — hold it close. Let it steady your steps. And from that place of purpose, live fully, intentionally, and unshakably.
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