I am going to get in shape. I am going to save up money and stop blowing it on nights out. I am going to avoid pizza like the plague and start eating healthier.
These popular resolutions, or something that sounds quite
similar, have probably run through your mind one year or another. They are a sweet thought, but the reality is
that to most of us, that is all they will ever be. It is a classic pattern: the new year rolls
around, we attach ourselves to a resolution of the likes of the aforementioned,
tell ourselves that this year will really be the year we do it, and bam—it’s
March, you haven’t seen the gym in three weeks and can’t remember the last time
you ate vegetables.
How we have been taught to make New Year’s resolutions makes them the absolute worst. We pick some vague goal to strive for that briefly motivates us for all the wrong reasons. Most resolutions point out the wrong in our present lives. They set us up for failure, highlighting our weaknesses rather than celebrating our strengths. When the time comes that we inevitably falter on our resolutions, the only outcome we will be left with is a bout of self-hate.
The only New Year’s resolution we should be making is to not have a resolution. This way, we avoid the stress of struggling to maintain one and the disappointment of breaking one. That avoidance right there is already a step towards a healthier, better you.
In a resolution’s place, set several small things to appreciate. Instead of one over-arching resolution hanging over the next twelve months, say you’ll take time and reward yourself for every test you ace. Celebrating life’s little triumphs still gives you goals to reach towards without having to worry that you’ve let yourself down if you falter one time or another. To quote the ever-talented Hannah Montana, “Everybody makes mistakes/ Everybody has those days”. We are not perfect, and we do not have to beat ourselves up for not being so. If you’re still pondering on your 2015 resolution, consider no resolution as your best move.
