“Carpe diem.”
In Latin, the phrase means “seize the day.”
In our cultural tradition of turning sacred lines into statements of piteous slang, we have more aptly rephrased this into “YOLO.”
Phrase it how you like. In either translation, what we see is a philosophy that urges us to make the most out of the present time we are living in, take opportunities as they come to us and enjoy life. This is a worthwhile way of seeing the world, as we have too little time here as it is, thus we might as well make the most of every single second we are granted.
It seems however, that around this time of year, in which we experience the onset of a brand new 365-day cycle, we somewhat alter this phrase enough so that its meaning becomes: “Seize the day… well… wait until Dec. 31, and then we shall seize the day.”
I’m talking here about a resolution, or more honestly put, a postponement of a change that you could just as capably put into effect right now. The very word “resolve” means that you are physically making no change, only soft-wiring a promise to yourself that you may make a change at some point in the future. Unfortunately, most of our resolve is lacking.
Don’t quickly blame yourself, for good old science gives us some reasons why we, as humans, are bound to keep repeating this vicious cycle of change (or lack thereof).
In a radio interview I heard recently, a neuroscientist being interviewed proposed some explanations as to why we fail to stick to our resolutions, and some “hacks” to combat this very problem. What was even better, and more impressive, was that a qualified professional such as himself admitted to suffering from the same frailties of commitment as the rest of us. We all fall into the trap.
Jan. 1, as well as many other significant events, such as birthdays and holidays, serve as what he called “temporal landmarks.” Basically, these are certain times that we mark as major points of change; launch pads from which we start anew, and set out on different journeys of our respected lives. Although a mere 24 hours may have passed between our old self and our new being on the “other side” of this temporal landmark, we look back as if a new transformation has taken place overnight. (When we turn 21, some sort of transformation may have actually occurred, but I digress…)
All of this thinking is the reason why we believe resolutions will be effective. The interviewee says that “the psychological truth is that people tend to look down on their past selves compared to who they are now.” That is, the person we are today is (to us, at least) leagues better than who we were yesterday, last week, or last month. Resolutions, he says, “are a way to mark this transition from the old version of ourselves to the new and improved version.” It seems as if purely thinking of the changes we are going to make, the things we would like to do differently, give us the pleasure that we have made a real change as an individual.
The scientist then goes on to explain how, resolutions, and all of their deceiving power, set us up for failure. Because we tell ourselves that we will be more active, better spouses, proactive students; we are convinced we will soon become the ideal us. However, just because the calendar reads Jan. 2 and the gym membership has been activated, doesn’t mean we will actively seek the changes we have told ourselves we will make.
A sobering reality, yet better than the alternative of lying to ourselves and others. Sometimes facing the reality that we are often fickle when it comes to making changes is the first step in actually taking action. A suggestion that was presented at the end of the interview, and one I whole heartedly agree with, is to make smaller and more frequent “temporal landmarks” for ourselves. This could mean staring each week, or even each day, with a list of goals or even one item to which we dedicate our energies. This way, we will keep ourselves accountable on a more frequent basic, checking in with ourselves, and maybe even our accountability “partners” as to how we are doing. In contrast with the “once a year” onslaught of bucket-lists and “honey do” lists for our personal selves, this seems a more practical alternative.
I have never been one to make resolutions, and ironically enough, “resolved” a few years ago never to make such ungainly promises to myself. The chosen strategy? Constant evolution as a human being, a son, an athlete and a student. Would I become the perfect man within a few years? Far from. However, constantly finding things to change, for better or for worse, is an eye opening practice in self-evaluation.
I constantly set goals, and when I don’t (or happily do) achieve them, I set some more. The important thing is to discover what needs to be implemented, and do it right away. Having a day of “resolution” to fall back on is simply a way to postpone an actionable life change.
Aren’t we all tired of hearing “new year, new me” anyways?
