How many of you took the time to think of a New Year’s resolution? How many of you abandoned that resolution a month after making it? A week? A day? The point is that society empathizes “New Year, New Me,” but how long does that really last? A more accurate term society should coin is “New Year, Same Me.” It is not a terrible thing if you are entering a new year as the same person who were the previous year, or if you enter a new year without any resolutions. I had none and I am doing just fine. Let’s be real; most of us abandon these goals or resolutions quicker than the ball drops in Times Square anyway. So why not accept that we are entering the New Year as the same person we were the day before?
I have an inside joke with myself (it sounds lame, I know) where I browse Facebook for people posting their resolutions, and then I periodically check up on them for about two weeks (I promise this is not stalking). Through my extensive research, I usually find that people abandon their own resolutions before the two weeks are even up. I mean, I get it: life is unpredictable. It wouldn’t be much fun if it wasn’t!
So, now I will share with you my own list of New Year’s Resolutions and how long they actually lasted…
- To be a more kind and understanding person.
- To watch less Netflix.
- To eat healthier (I knew this one wouldn’t last ten minutes, but hey, a girl can try).
- To exercise more without being forced to by my roommate.
- To read a book a month.
Seeing as my list is pretty small, you would think I would have been able to stick with it and accomplish at least half of these things. Sadly, I accomplished a mere one and a half. I say “half” because I sort of eat healthier, if you don’t count pizza rolls, Oreo’s or chocolate. Nevertheless, it is fascinating that out of five goals, I only managed to stick with one of them. Number one on the list was the only one I have been working on. Two through five have been overlooked tremendously. Maybe that is why most people give up on resolutions; they make too many of them and do not have the time, energy or willpower to follow through with the whole list. I know I didn’t. Maybe we should stick with one goal and go from there. It definitely would be more realistic and manageable. If I am being honest, I doubt I could keep one goal going for a whole year anyway. A month is more reasonable for me and more likely. So if you are one of those people who made resolutions and gave up on them a week later, don’t get too down on yourself! You are not alone.
