Every single year we tell ourselves that this will finally be the time we get it right. This year is the year we will start eating healthy, begin a creative project, go on daily walks, learn guitar, be an overall nicer person, and get the best grades. We go into New Year’s Eve with all our resolutions ready to go, and we walk into the New Year confident; excited to finally take ownership of becoming our best self. The unfortunate reality is that after a week or two, or maybe a month, or perhaps a few months, this New Year’s hope and passion starts to die down. You lose the momentum you had from the fresh start and you are left with seemingly only one option: to try again next year! This is where I want to come in and tell you that this doesn’t have to be the case.
For some people, New Year’s truly is the time to make a revolutionary, long-lasting change—”some people” is not me! Although I love the energy cultivated around New Year’s that is all about bettering ourselves, I do think we could all benefit from re-thinking how we set our resolutions and how we think about New Year’s in general. New Year’s is nothing but a façade. Yes, it’s great to use this New Year’s momentum to set goals for yourself, but you also have to remember that January 2nd can be your New Year’s, or the day after, or the next month. So, let’s take the time now to evaluate how we are truly doing on our New Year’s resolutions, as it may not be too late to grow this momentum and start fresh with more sustainable goals. Nothing about New Year’s Day itself is actually special by any means, and there is nothing stopping you from putting all that New Year’s energy into yourself on the daily.
Whether you’ve already set resolutions or are yet to make them, remember that these goals shouldn’t define or determine the success of your entire year. If you find that a goal you set for yourself is proving too challenging, consider adapting it to be more flexible. For instance, if your initial aim was to cut screen time an hour before bedtime and you’ve struggled to maintain it, adjust the goal to allow for fluctuations. Aim to stay off your phone for an hour before bed, with every day being your target, and two days being the minimum. This way, you still have the opportunity to achieve the original goal, but you won’t feel like you have to abandon it if you encounter setbacks (which is normal!).
For those who chose not to set resolutions this year, consider this a reminder that it is not too late to make better choices; choices that allow you to step further into the person you want to be. Again, these do not need to be huge, groundbreaking goals. Maybe you just want to read more when you have the time, or perhaps you want to start being kinder to yourself. You know yourself best—Who do you want to be this year? The possibilities are endless, and that’s exciting in itself.You have the ability to transform and improve yourself on any day, at any time.
You see, I don’t think there is anything wrong with celebrating New Year’s and using it as this pivotal turning point. The only thing that I want us to work on is the way we use this day to set resolutions that we know we’ll end up not keeping. We use the New Year’s momentum to shoot right for the moon without remembering that we need to build up for such a take off.