The most annoying thing I come across on social media are screenshots of Kanye West tweets. But almost as annoying as that are posts that people put up at the end of every year. These posts can (and often do) include a list of promises that people will make to themselves in order to become a better person for the next year. In theory, it doesn’t sound like that bad of an idea, but it’s become a joke.
Whether it’s in the form of New Year’s Resolutions or a simple diary-entry style Facebook status or tweet, people love telling the world of all the ways they intend to be better next year. But weeks (sometimes just days) later, they revert to the same person they wanted to stray away from.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make goals for yourself, but to promise to be a new person for a new year is ridiculous. Humans are complex creatures and don’t change overnight (physically or mentally). We grow over time as our experiences shape who we are. And the person you are on December 31st isn’t going to change by January 1st, no matter how many times you tweet about it or tell yourself you will.
In the end, becoming a “new you” is going to take a lot more than proclaiming it to the world. In fact, wanting to be a better version of yourself doesn’t require you to tell anyone at all. You only need one thing: dedication.
Whether you want to stop drinking or lose weight, be nicer or be more assertive, dedication is how you’ll accomplish these things. Without it, your goals or resolutions will fizzle out before Valentine’s Day. The unfortunate truth about wanting be a better version of yourself is that you have to actually try.
This doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t make goals for a new year (quite the opposite actually). But keep in mind that those goals won’t complete themselves. Personalities and lifestyles are far too complicated to change just as the clock strikes midnight or the ball drops for a new year. And people should never stop wanting to be better. Whether it’s the end of the year of the middle of summer, we should always be striving to better ourselves and grow as individuals, and you don’t need a silly post to do it.
