And just like that, we find ourselves at the end of another year. For some, 2015 may have been the best year of their lives, full of love, success, and happiness. For others, it may have been tough, one full of sadness or disappointment.
However, no matter what one's experience, the year is inevitably coming to a close, and taking the resolutions that we made 12 long months ago with it. Well, the resolutions of those who did make them, anyway.
Just like last year, and the year before, I didn't make a New Year's resolution. Watching the ball drop last Dec. 31, I wasn't trying to think of a way to change my life, personality, or physical appearance. Instead, I was just enjoying the moment that I was in, and reflecting on all the good memories that I had made throughout the year.
And that's part of the reason why I think New Year's resolutions actually produce the opposite effect of their intention. They force you to think about your year in a negative light instead of a positive one, and limit your focus from a broader ambition to a placating goal that can be accomplished in a quick year.
I believe people should set ambitious goals for themselves and strive to fulfill them. However, I think that setting an inflexible deadline for this self-betterment can only lead to disappointment. Resolutions should be the ultimate goal that you set for yourself; they're meant to be challenging, and may take longer than a year to fulfill.
At the end of the year, some people don't even remember what their resolution was. They're the lucky ones. Most people simply forget they made one quickly into the year until the closing ceremonies bring back the memory. When people do remember, and realize that they didn't lose 10 pounds but gained three, or realize that they didn't make Dean's list after all, they end the year feeling like a disappointment. This doesn't inspire anyone to want to do better. It only discourages them from setting new, better goals in the future. This is unfortunate, because even though a person could have accomplished many unexpected great things throughout the year, they spend the end of it in regret for not having done one.
The entire year should be a building process. There shouldn't be one specific time during which you make a goal to change something about yourself and only work for that. The year may feel like a figurative "new start," but in reality, you're the same person you were the day before, in the exact same circumstances. The "New Year" ideology simply sets people up for thinking that the coming year will be something new, different, and better; only to find at the end of the year that it isn't, and you're back where you began.
The point is, if we base our wanting to better ourselves upon a mandated time of year, then allow ourselves to become disappointed when the betterment is not achieved, we only set ourselves up for a disappointment that psychologically impairs the setting of future goals. We limit our potential growth and lose faith in our real abilities to succeed, because we judge our years in terms of the accomplishment of one "goal" we thought was important a year ago.
If we can get past the stigma that it takes a "new year" to change us (only to find that it actually doesn't), and learn that each day in itself provides a positive opportunity to grow and change all on our own, we can ultimately be happier, and reach more goals than simply limiting our success with one yearly resolution. The disappointment of a lack of fulfillment and lack of change in the year is nothing but a deterrent, and it impairs one's ability to grow as a person in the future.
Each and every new day is a blessing and opportunity to better yourself, your life, and the world around you. Don't act like you need a new start to take control and reach new heights. Just do it.
