We're coming up on a new year, which means change is in the air. It's the time of year when people decide to take control and change the things they didn't have time for in the past. For most people, resolutions are a way of self-improvement, a bargain with the new year to make themselves "better than ever." 2017 will no doubt prove similar, with hundreds of Facebook posts about resolutions to work out more, eat better and be kinder.
The problem with resolutions doesn't lie in the intention (they're actually a pretty great idea), but in the implementation. Nearly every person who resolves to change in the new year fizzles out within the first six weeks. That's not surprising, seeing how most people make their resolutions at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1.
While it's inspiring to decide in the moment to make a major life change, it is almost never a lasting experience. We all have a friend or relative who makes the same resolution every year and announces it to the world. They post all over social media for the first few weeks of January, then suddenly drop it. Even the accountability of an Instagram post can't help people stick to their changes.
This New Year's, instead of making resolutions, make plans. Decide to change several aspects of your life and make them specific. Don't focus as much on external changes, but instead think about how you can be a better family member, a better student, better employee, etc. Make plans for small changes, like starting a daily journal or calling your family twice a week. While those goals may seem silly, they are the ones that will help to make lasting change through the coming year.
2017 shouldn't be about making phony promises to ourselves. We should, and can, do better than that. Making reasonable plans at the beginning of the year with conservative goals may be the best way to create lasting change. While small changes may seem insignificant in the face of everyone else's big goals, at the end of 2017 those smaller goals will have been met, while those huge goals will be left behind by February.
Face the new year with excitement and joy, and plan to change the things you can. Help others realize their goals while striving to achieve your own as well. Most of all, remember that the new year is what you make it, and try to make it great.
