Why I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions
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Why I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions

It might be more beneficial to keep an open mind about future endeavors as opposed to deciding on a specific goal.

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Why I Don't Make New Year's Resolutions
Brandy Clymer

You can’t think of New years without also thinking of the word “resolution.” The beginning of a new year has moved from a celebration of new beginnings and unlimited possibilities to a list.

By deciding what you want to accomplish at the beginning of the year, you can end up limiting what you are capable of or willing to do.

Some people need lists and goals to motivate them, and I admit that I fall into this category sometimes, but doing this can promote the mentality that once the goal is accomplished, you’re done.

So, these people might not maintain their motivation throughout the year. It might be more beneficial to keep an open mind about future endeavors.

Another issue may come in that the chosen resolution is too high a goal. When this is the case, it greatly decreases the motivation as people realize the difficulty. They are less likely to rally and accomplish it than they are to give up.

By giving up, they see the year as a kind of failure and aren’t always willing to see the potential in upcoming months.

Resolutions can also produce a lot of stress, as this goal is made the center of a person’s life. The rigidness of this placement of importance means a necessary devotion that can be draining. This is increased by other responsibilities like jobs, personal life, college, and/or health.

I do not think that goals and resolutions are bad, just that they do not positively impact a person’s life when equated with potential happiness. Goals can be good when kept in appropriate perspective, not as a necessary or vital event. But that is what New Years has become, a way to enforce more structure upon yourself and stress yourself before you have even gotten the chance to relax and appreciate what the future has to offer.

It is impossible to know specifically what the future holds. I personally believe that making a plan for your life can be helpful as long as you are willing to accept another outcome. Hard-resolved resolutions bring disappointment largely due to a person’s inability to acknowledge that the resolution isn’t the right fit.

This can be compared to general knowledge. People used to believe that the earth was flat until it was discovered to be round. In this way, resolutions can only be effective if they are adaptable to changing beliefs and situations.

I have made resolutions in the past and have found that they were just another disappointment. Through my experiences, I have changed my perspective in order to be more open to what the new year brings. Of course, I have ideas and hopes for the new year, but I am going to keep them as such. What plans I make will be regarded as a kind of outline for me; getting ideas out there without a finality.

I don’t write this as if I don’t have things I want to happen for me in the upcoming year, just that I want to take things as they come, without major disappointments or expectations.

After all, goals and resolutions are a personal matter, and I support anyone who is striving for a happy life. If that means a New Year’s resolution, great. Personally, I am going to be open to whatever 2018 might have in store for me.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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