January first: a day so many of us walk into the new year with clear minds, lofty goals, and high hopes. Unfortunately, most of us quickly realize that life is exactly the same. Hanging a new calendar on the wall didn’t wipe the last year away. Our cravings for cupcakes or pasta haven’t vanished, allowing for an effortless 20-pound weight loss. We didn’t gain any extra hours in the day to pour into working out, or reading more, or even doing the laundry on a regular basis.
What needs to change is ourselves, and that can happen at any time of the year.
So why bother with resolution at all? Because they still have a great value, even if you don’t follow them to the letter from January first all the way to December 31st, checking off milestones along the way. Here’s where that value lies, and why you shouldn’t give up the practice of making a new year’s resolution.
1. This is a time of year for reflection
The tradition of writing resolutions gives us a chance to sit down and review our life as it is right in this moment. What did we achieve in the last year, where are we now, and what do we want to change as we go forward? We can think about these things any time, but having this time of year where it’s a common practice can remind us to actually sit down and do it, rather than pushing it until later. Others are doing the same thing, and the group mentality can help you focus on this task that’s so important but can easily be forgotten in the day-to-day shuffle the rest of the year.
2. Writing your goals down makes them “real”
All year we think “I want to lose weight” or “I want to start working out” but it’s less common to actually set a specific goal. Developing measurable goals and then writing them down can raise your chances of success by a significant amount according to a study by Dr. Gail Matthews at Dominican University of California. Dr. Matthews even shows that telling your friends about your goals and keeping them updated on your progress can add to success as well, so writing that Facebook post about finishing your degree or learning rock climbing may actually be beneficial (tell that to the resolution-haters!).
3. You can go back and review your goals, see your progress (or lack of) and adjust accordingly
One of my favorite things about writing down my resolutions is that I can go back and look at them. Through those notes I can remember who I was and what my life was like just by seeing what I thought was important to achieve at that time. Some goals seem silly, some I achieved, and others still appear on my list today. If you didn’t reach some goal you can think about why—was it unrealistic? Maybe it wasn’t actually that important to you, and you found that out later. Maybe you just need to dedicate more time and effort and try again, or maybe it’s time to leave it behind. Without these written resolutions unachieved goals would just be forgotten, but by holding on to them you can use them as a learning experience.
Even if you reflect on what you want to do, write down your goals, and still fall short, those resolutions still serve a purpose. Never underestimate the power of taking the time to sit with yourself and reflect on your own life, where you’ve been, and where you want to go.
