With New Year’s Eve just around the corner, resolutions are sure to follow. Pinky-promising yourself you’re going to drop those last five pounds, letting the entirety of Facebook know that you’re finally going to start your novel this year, and you and your friends hyping each other up about how this will finally be your year. We’ve all been there. Some of us will even be there in a few days.
The start of a New Year is a very exciting time, because with it comes the unknown. It’s a chance to finally be the person you want to be and make the changes you’ve always wanted to make. It’s a fresh start, and moreover, a reason to start fresh. I understand and can appreciate the excitement. I truly can. However, I personally do not partake. Sure, I’ll have some champagne, stay up well after midnight, and enjoy my New Year like everyone else, but I don’t make resolutions.
I am a firm believer in the power of the self and the idea that you do not need a new year to be better or to want better for yourself. I believe that people are always growing and changing and becoming better through each and every thing they experience. Learning is the name of the game, and I think people are constantly learning. Each day is a new opportunity to change yourself and make yourself better. Every day is a fresh start.
A new year is an excuse to turn yourself around, and for many, maybe the push they finally needed. However, motivation does not come from the calendar. Motivation is something that must come from within. Hence, why many people tend to fail when it comes to keeping their resolutions at first. Motivation stemming from somewhere besides yourself is not strong enough to elicit true change. You have to truly want to change. The drive has to come from an internal urge, not a social obligation born from tradition.
Furthermore, the custom of New Year’s resolutions doesn’t take into account how difficult it is to truly change. Especially if you’re making large lifestyle changes. Studies have shown that, on average, it takes over two months to form new habits. With the two-month finish line being somewhat daunting and more than a little distant, it’s easy to fall off the wagon, especially when you’re trying to change yourself completely, or undo deeply rooted habits.
New Year’s resolutions don’t allow any room for error. They appear to be just a final, all-encompassing goal, insinuating that reaching goals themselves is linear. Failure is not an option; it’s a requirement. No one that’s ever accomplished anything did it on the first try. It’s a matter of constant effort and yes, sometimes even starting over.
So why put yourself through it? Change starts one day at a time. And that change can start whenever you want. My goal for myself every day is to do better and be better for myself and by myself. And with that, I make sure to try new things every day and branch out and challenge myself all for the hope of a better me. By partaking in my own betterment every day, there’s a higher chance of success and even more so, I am constantly growing and becoming the person I want to be- everyday! It’s never too late to change yourself. And it’s never too early to start, either. So what are you waiting for?