New year’s resolutions…

You may make them every year, but how many do you actually keep? For how long?

Yeah, me too.

So this year, I’m not making any new year’s resolutions. And this is why:

My resolutions, along with most people’s, tend to be really big. Eat better, lose weight, read more books, save more money, and so on. But the problem with those is that they’re huge concepts and lifestyle changes without a clear plan of action. Honestly, after the new year rolls through, nothing in life significantly changes, so it’s very difficult to break the habits of the past years. Perhaps there is a renewed commitment to change, but once the demands of work or school start to take over again after the holidays, you’re right back where you were the year before.

It’s very hard to make a massive lifestyle change. So instead, tackle large, abstract objectives in small, easy to manage changes as opposed to trying to turn your life around in one single day. Make smart and healthy decisions every day without quitting things cold turkey to slowly build a new lifestyle.

Also, I find new year’s resolutions are ultimately very disheartening. You put forth such an enthusiastic effort in the new year to make changes to your life, but if they start to slip and you cannot maintain your resolution, then there is the attitude of, “well, I’ll just try again next year.” Instead, try to treat every day like January first and make a daily commitment to whatever you want to achieve, as opposed to a yearly commitment that can seem daunting and overwhelming.

Try to find ways of improving your life every day. You don’t have to wait for the new year to work on the new you.