New Year’s Resolutions feed on the hope that comes with a fresh start. The idea that the calendar begins again and we are distanced from our failures and shortcomings of the past year is reassuring. The new goals that stem from this are products of our renewed optimism. We dream of losing weight, going to the gym, eating healthier, being kinder, keeping the house cleaner and more. Who could disagree with ideas like that?
I do. On principle, it seems amazing. A healthier, happier and kinder society would be wonderful, but sadly these plans for the new year are full of empty promises. If you couldn’t start on December 31st, what makes now any different? If these goals are really that important to you, why wait for an arbitrary date? 365 days is a year, regardless of the date it starts. It may be harder to start a new routine without the extra ‘push’ that a new year brings, but as Helen Keller once said, “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going”.
If somewhere along the long, lonely road to self-improvement you fail, keep going. One hiccough does not make you or your goal a failure. The attitude of waiting until the next January 1st to try again is silly. This is a big reason why New Year’s Resolutions fail. I refuse to procrastinate my future to follow society’s celebration of a clean slate. I can wipe it clean and start over any day I choose. I do not need some outside approval or peer pressure to change my life for the better.
On January 1st I will not make any dramatic life changes. I won’t attempt to take on so much at once. Instead, I will consistently reevaluate my long-term goals and form short-term goals as needed to help me get there. I will not hold myself to an archaic tradition that minimizes my freedom to pursue happiness in whatever way I see fit. Holding myself back now and procrastinating my future plans is a waste.
