A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behaviour, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behaviour at the beginning of a calendar year.
It’s a promise that you make to yourself to start doing something good or stop doing something bad on the first day of the year:
Every year, millions of people make New Year’s resolutions, hoping to spark positive change. The recurring themes each year include a more active approach to health and fitness, improved finances, and learning new things for personal and professional development.
Chances are, more than a couple of the top 10 most common resolutions will look familiar to you:
1. Exercise more
2. Lose weight
3. Get organized
4. Learn a new skill or hobby
5. Live life to the fullest
6. Save more money / spend less money
7. Quit smoking
8. Spend more time with family and friends
9. Travel more
10. Read more
Despite the best of intentions, once the glow of a fresh new year wears off, many people struggle to make good on their plans. According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, only 46% of people who made New Year’s resolutions were successful. That means over half of the people who set a goal for the new year will fail!
Okay!! For those 46% who are disciplined, focused, motivated etc. etc. we don’t need to know because they can do it!
But what about the remaining 54%, let’s take a look what their life is like with their New Year’s resolution:
• My New Years’ resolution is everything I said my New Years’ resolution was last year and the year before that …
• New Year, New Me! Just kidding. I’m fairly certain I’ll remain overweight and continue to make bad decisions….
• My New Year’s resolution was to lose 10 pounds and I’m ending the year with only 17 more to go.
• Try to worry less, fill that time with…… Oh God! What am I supposed to fill that time with… this is already going terribly!!
Therefore, I don’t call them New Year Resolutions. I prefer the term, “Casual promises to myself that I’m under no legal obligation to fulfill”
For some, New Year Resolutions are simple acts of life which are important but not life threatening…. still fulfilling them is quite a challenge; just a few relatable resolutions….
• I will finally learn to cook something other than reservation.
• I vow to keep my plants alive for more than a month.
• Master the art of parallel parking (or continue to avoid it).
• I will limit my screen time to only 8 hours of Netflix per day.
• Become a morning person.
• I promise to use the gym membership I’ve been paying for all year.
• Develop the ability to remember names, even if it’s just mine.
• I will strive to say ‘no’ more often… unless it involves dessert.
That’s why Mark Twain said, “Now is the time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual”.
A word of caution:
Don’t post your New Year’s resolutions to social media. Two months from now, when you’re elbow deep in a bag of Cheetos, you don’t need anyone asking you how marathon training is going.
But on a lighter note; (for the likes of us)
“May all your troubles last as long as your New Year’s resolutions”.
