Why I think New Year’s resolutions are a fad

Today is the 29th of December 2020. It’s exactly four days after Christmas, two days before the New Year. I started this post thinking about new year’s resolutions. To be more precise, my new year’s resolutions. On top of that, I was also thinking about what I have accomplished this yea, have all my goals been achieved and have I made a difference?

To me, the days running up to the new year, perhaps, are a bit more stressful than what I hoped they would be. These are the days when I contemplate on whether I should have a new year’s resolutions. Most would be thinking of all the grand things they would want to change in the new year to make better versions of themselves or to those who don’t want disappointments, little changes to their lives.

A few years ago, I was one of those people – thinking about new beginnings, thinking about new goals, thinking about changing to become a better version of myself in the new year. I would write a long list of my “Things to do this year”, starting with loose the holiday kgs, save to buy this (and that) and many more. It would be at least 20 things I would like to achieve for that year. Some of them were carried over from my previous list and some would be new because I’ve either seen them done by my idols or my friends or I’ve just fancied them because they looked cool to do.

I did say few years ago because this time around, I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions anymore. One would say I have been cynical about these all. I would say, I have opened my eyes and just became realistic.

I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble or upset anyone reading this, for that matter. You see, from my own experience, I have never ever accomplished any new year’s resolutions per se. Don’t get me wrong. I like planning about what I could achieve in the next few months. I’d like to accomplish something. But I don’t achieve them for the sake of “completing my new year’s resolutions”. I have achieved things because I believe they make me feel happy, they give me a sense of purpose and they make me a better person for the longer term.

I’m in no way an expert of this matter. But based on my experience, new year’s resolutions tend to be short-lived. We say we will stop drinking. First few months will be alright. Then comes the summer season when everyone is out in their gardens, drinking beers or pimms or any other cocktail that would make you feel cool, we feel jealous of friends and family who are enjoying themselves and then we give up. We start drinking alcohol to our heart’s content and just be drunk all the time, forgetting the pledge we have made at the start of the year. We say we will be healthier versions of ourselves. We start eating vegetables and fruits, we go all out on exercising, we start a healthy sleeping habit. January becomes a veganuary or sometimes a dry January. We start all these really nice things for our bodies and start feeling really good about them. Then when February comes, we try to commit to this list and try to stay away from temptation. Then March comes, we are eating all nasty things again, rendering us less healthy than before.

I can’t say I have not been those kinds before, because believe me I have been, and probably far worse than I intended to be. Maybe some would say, it was lack of self-discipline. Maybe I was just lazy. And the truth is, I cannot be bothered.

This is why I don’t believe in new year’s resolutions anymore. Why would I bother thinking of my new year’s resolutions if I knew they will not be for the long term? Why would I spend time thinking about the past year and how I did to achieve my previous year’s resolutions if they were never effective?

I thought of a better way of making sure that I see the improvement in myself, a better version of myself – that is, knowing why I was doing it. With new year’s resolutions, I felt they were fake. They are these traditions, trends, we, humans, have that don’t make any sense to me at all. To me (and based on experience), they are decisions based on what we think is cool and good at the moment as opposed to for the longer term.

So why don’t we, instead of a compiling a new year’s resolution list, make plans to achieve things that will make us proud of ourselves in the long run? Instead of some quick “Yes I crossed that from my new year’s resolution’s list”, why don’t we turn that into “Ah, step one done, 99 steps more to achieve my goal!”? Instead of instant gratification, would it not be better if we see ourselves achieving our goals one by one and getting that well-deserved pat on our backs for doing a job well done?

I hope I didn’t sound so pessimistic and ruined all of your new year’s resolutions. I think things work differently for all. What works for me definitely does not mean it will work for you. It might, but it might not. What’s important is that we know what is good and what we will do is to be good.

P.S. Have a happy New Year and I hope 2021 is a better year for all of us!