Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions

Why I Don’t Make New Year’s Resolutions

As I sit and type up this post on my computer, it is January 5th, 2020. The beginning of a new year and the closing out of the previous one. Like most people, the arrival of a new year brings to mind the reflection of the past 12 months. Memories, lessons learned and things we would prefer to forget altogether. This is the time of year when most people plot out the changes they wish to make within themselves or in their life. I am all for bettering oneself, but if you are going to make adjustments or changes, it can and should be done right away regardless of the time of year. I am not one for the whole “New Year’s Resolution” tradition of vowing what I intend to change. 

The Ups And Downs

New Year’s resolutions often produce short-lived changes, the feeling of failure and an unhealthy focus on the things we don’t like about ourselves. It often goes something like this; the declaration of your resolutions, usually accompanied by unnecessary purchases of things you will only use for a short period of time. After doing that, you map out the fine details of your resolutions to ensure success. By this point, you are feeling hopeful and determined, telling yourself that this year will finally be the year you stop procrastinating. New Year’s Day arrives and if you are not hungover from the night before you begin day one of your resolutions. Some people don’t even get this far, each day they tell themselves “tomorrow I will start” but tomorrow never comes. For the individuals who actually put their resolutions into action, they either fall into the group of people who truly follow through completely or the ones that last a few days, weeks, or months if they are lucky. 

By now you’re feeling like an utter failure which spirals you into a state of hopelessness and inadequacy. The feeling of motivation and determination you once felt has dissipated. To accept your failure means being honest with yourself and that is too uncomfortable, so you tell yourself whatever you have to in order to justify your failure. It all becomes too much, it is easier to just scratch the whole thing. You tell yourself that you will revisit the idea and execution of it in the near future. Life resumes as normal, you’ve accomplished nothing and now your beginning to regret the unnecessary money you spent on this endeavor. Sound familiar?

Deciding Not To Get Sucked In

For some people, New Year’s resolutions are the little nudge needed to launch them into gear. For the rest of humanity, it becomes another year on the list of “unfollowed through with New Year’s resolutions.” Making New Year’s resolutions adds unnecessary pressure that causes self-sabotage. Your much more likely to follow through with lifestyle changes or self-improvement if you resist making it a New Year’s resolution. For myself, I do much better by deciding to change something as soon as I am aware of it. The less chance for procrastination and excuses means, the higher the likelihood of my success.

If you can relate to this post, know that you are not alone in being caught up in this vicious cycle of New Year’s resolutions. Accept it for what it is and move forward. It doesn’t make you any less of a person if come January 5th you have already failed at the resolutions you established for yourself. Actual change that sticks doesn’t come from resolutions you came up with to have an answer when someone asks, “What are your New Year’s resolutions going to be”? If there is something that needs changing, you will only achieve it through willpower and commitment, no matter what month of the year it falls into. 

Real Self-Improvement

The most impactful changes I’ve made in my life were never made on the heels of a New Year’s resolution. Then again, this is just what does and does not work for me, if making New Year’s resolutions works for you, kudos. This blog post isn’t about you though, it’s about telling you why I don’t take part in the declaring of New Year’s resolutions.