As 2016 came to a close, and we all celebrated the beginning of 2017 (probably with too much champagne in our systems), resolutions were thought of and shared. The following week, these resolutions are put into action - the gym is much busier, people are shopping and eating out less, and kids are starting to go back to school. Now that we are two weeks into 2017, some of those resolutions may no longer be given that much attention. Studies show that after two weeks, 95% of all New Year’s resolutions are forgotten about.
Making a New Year's resolution is as much of a holiday tradition as waiting for Santa to come on Christmas. And more often than not, these resolutions fail. We like to think of a new year as a clean slate and a time to begin again; the past is the past and we can make the future whatever we want it to be - or something like that.
As most people know, some of the most common New Year's resolutions are to lose weight, live healthier, spend less money, do more, be happier, etc. It’s a lot of pressure to try and “fix” your life within the first two weeks of the year. On top of going back to work or school after the holidays, post-holiday blues (which is a real thing), and trying to find a new routine, it's no wonder resolutions fail. It is so much easier to just give up on them rather than think about them in a more practical way that doesn't burn us out.
Every year, I have made resolutions and every year, like most people, I fail to follow through with them because I put so much pressure on myself to accomplish those resolutions as quickly as possible. This year, I decided to make the resolution to make no resolutions. Trust me, it isn’t because my life is perfect and nothing needs fixing. And, while my life will never be perfect and there will always be things I need to work on, I think I’m doing pretty well. And if there is a “resolution” I’d like to make for myself, why wait for the New Year? I could literally decide tomorrow that I want to better myself in some way and that would have nothing to do with the fact that it is 2017.
If we worked as hard all year as we do those first few weeks of a new year, we wouldn't have to make resolutions but rather keep living how we already are. We should always strive to be the healthiest, kindest, smartest, most fun versions of ourselves at all times of the year, not just the beginning.
When I started thinking of it that way, making a New Year's resolution seemed silly and like something I needed to accomplish before January ended, which quickly stressed me out. When you don’t put a time limit on what you want to accomplish, you’ll quickly realize that life is pretty great and there's nothing you need to resolve to change. If there is something you feel you should change, don't let the beginning of a New Year make you feel like you have to encompass an all-or-nothing mentality.
