Lately, the idea of having a New Year’s resolution has become mocked and ridiculed. People come up with a list of goals they want to get done or change about themselves in the upcoming year. Eventually those goals fade away from their mind, and the little slip of paper they wrote it on gets thrown away or lost. After a month or two, if even that long, the motivation for completing the resolution is gone. With that said, it is understandable why people no longer take it seriously
It seems almost pointless to start something that time after time has proven to go unfinished. When I was younger, I would make goals such as I will clean my room more or I will go to bed on time. However, even today my room becomes a pigsty after a difficult morning trying to pick out an outfit, and even if I am ready to sleep at 11:00pm I find myself on my phone or laptop until midnight. Basically, even after several years, there are some habits that are hard to break.
Despite not being able to change my habits, I still find it important to make a resolution. Even just coming up with goals for yourself, even if you know that the likelihood of accomplishing them are slim, has its benefits. I know that my New Year’s resolution for this year is to be more flexible. In deciding that I need to be more flexible, I first needed to acknowledge that I am not, in fact, flexible. I am a person who likes to make plans: I plan out my day sequentially, and sometimes even by the hour. Being able to make that plan and follow it puts me at ease, knowing that I am slowly accomplishing everything that needs to be done. But once that schedule is disrupted, I lose whatever composure I have. If dinner takes longer than expected, a last-minute homework piece is assigned, or my brain just can’t function for a large chunk of time, anxiety kicks in. I get snappy and rude when people disturb me, and my mood makes it even harder to finish whatever I have left to get done. Only after realizing this about myself was I able to set the goal of being more flexible. It is something I am more consciously aware of about myself, and even if it is a trait that persists into the future, I can try my best to improve.
Being in the mindset that a goal won’t be accomplished before it is even set is a negative way to look at a New Year’s resolution to begin with. Setting a goal means having something to work toward. Goals such as cleaning my room I easily forget about. I set the goal on a whim, looking around my room taking note of how messy it is. I clean it early in the year, make a point to put things where they belong for a few days, and slowly but surely my room becomes a mess again. In all honestly, I don’t have much motivation to keep my room impeccably clean. As long as I know where everything is, my room is somewhat composed, and my mess isn’t encroaching (too much) onto my roommate’s side, I can live. It is a goal I set without any true reason for keeping, and that is why it goes unfulfilled.
Finding a goal that will spark passion and motivation into yourself is one that should be set instead of simple filler goals. This past year, I made the goal to be more in shape. After fall quarter of freshmen year, I could definitely feel the junk food metabolizing into the freshman 15. I started my winter quarter off well, telling myself to run a few times each week. By the time spring break came around, running had become a habit that I did not want to break. However, when I began pledging Alpha Kappa Psi, I slowly gave in to cheat days and breaks. I went from running three times a week, to twice, to once, to when I could fit it in (or never). By the end of pledging I physically felt gross with myself and how inactive I had been throughout the process, so once finals ended and summer break started, I re-instated my goal of being fit.
Now, running is something I do daily and fit into my schedule with ease. I have taught myself that I can always find half an hour in my day to run – half an hour that I would have spent watching k-dramas or just sitting in my room can be turned into a fun energizing run around the neighborhood. I went from barely exercising (even throughout high-school I was not very active in sports) to doing it daily because feeling good about myself physical was a goal I actually wanted to work towards, and continued to be motivated for.
Instead of not setting a goal simply because you already think it will not be accomplished, find things that you really want to change about yourself or your lifestyle. Inevitably, some goals may not be accomplished. Sometimes your plans and priorities will change, and the goal will no longer be relevant. Until then, think deeply about changes that will make you a better person or feel better about yourself. If you need to, write them down, maybe on a poster to put on your wall as a reminder, but like I said before: if it is something you truly want to work for, a lot of reminders should not be necessary. Don’t spend a few minutes just thinking of filler goals (though these have benefits too), but really think about larger changes you want to make – and then make them happen.
