Who doesn’t love the idea of starting new? No regrets or attachments, just a chance to recreate ourselves. Of course, everybody and their mother are going to try to eat better and buy gym memberships. And sure, half way through February the potato chips start coming out and the gym membership becomes more of a postcard than an active key. But hey, at least those people tried. They cared enough to buy celery that we all know we pretend is candy when they eat it and they had enough courage just to sign up for the gym. The truth is, sometimes we just need that magic restart button. And when we all see the numbers change on our iPhones and iWhateverNewDevice is out now, it creates this new drive to self-improve.
Let’s be honest. We could all self-improve. I’m not going to name names here (Trump), but I know I personally need to make a few adjustments. Let this article first and foremost be my proclamation that I am giving up sugar for two weeks (and then I’ll see if I can survive the rest of the next few months). This is the thing to remember, people: start small. Dozens of times over the last year I tried to reduce my intake of sugar and sweets (I’m a sugar-holic, I admit it), but if I tried stopping cold-turkey or just tried eating less so I wouldn’t be tempted, the more I caved.
The first day of the new year is refreshing. It helps solidify that there is a deadline or start-line to someone’s goals. (Side-note, have we all seen that post on Facebook that reads, “Nobody wants a healthy, skinny bitch anyway”? Seriously hilariously and sums up everybody’s life). Moving on, if someone tells you their New Year’s Resolution, support them. It’s hard enough deciding that you’re going to make an active change in your life. And part of the reason people share their resolutions, anyway, is so they can be held accountable. If you’re somebody who knows all too well that resolutions aren’t for you (and I totally support that), try helping out a brother. Maybe that can be your deed of the year, or if all else fails, watch people run to the bars instead of to the gym.
The most important thing to remember when making a new year’s resolution (or lack thereof), is to have fun with it. Change doesn’t occur overnight. Resolutions are there to motivate and to build off of what you already have going for you. I applaud anybody for trying to improve because we are constantly changing anyways. We might as well make those changes for the better. And for those who feel too much pressure to make a resolution or don’t feel that magical new beginning at the end of the year, never forget that it truly never is too late to start. Just pick a day out of the year and decide that that is the day you are going to become awesome.
