New Year - What´s the point
I know you believe that there is something sincerely messed up with my publishing schedule (which there is but not this time) since I know it has already been two months since New Year´s eve. However, I wasn´t praying on that.
The reason why I am talking about the new year after the new year is simply that I was hoping that everyone´s new year´s resolution would have been given up on by the time this article is published. I know it is mean but new year´s resolutions were more of a dream than a goal anyways.
To be fair, I don´t give too much of a crap if you gave up your new year´s resolution or not. If you did then I wish you plenty of luck next year and if you didn´t, then I am happy for you since a change for the better is always good and I wish you plenty of luck continuing your resolution.
Whether I give a crap about other´s new year´s resolutions is also not the point, it is just common knowledge that all new year´s resolutions would have been given up by this point, so it is probably a good idea to talk about new year´s resolutions now to remind you that you made some and it still exists.
If anyone´s asking, I did not make any resolutions for this year simply because it is the same story every year. There is some big goal I am chasing after but after the first month of trying, I simply forget about the resolution and move on with my life as normal which is unintended.
The same goes for many people who willingly shared their reasons for the lack of resolutions. They always say that they giving up on their resolutions because there is no follow-through. Everyone can hope but there is no change in the future whatsoever.
Moreover, I find it deeply annoying for anyone to ask about my resolutions. We all lie so what is the point of resolution sharing anyways? We all are going to look bad anyways if we don´t follow through which most of us do not do anyways. Therefore, I stand by my lack of resolutions stance.
Therefore, if anyone asks me what my resolution is, I will simply answer that I made a resolution to stop hanging out with anyone who asks me what my resolution is. Besides the easiest resolution to fulfil is simply to not make any.
Nevertheless, I digress. I did not want to discuss my new year´s resolutions avoidance contingency plans even though I am having plenty of fun sharing them. Today I want to discuss new year’s resolutions in general and not my specific plan.
I know that I mentioned that I believed the concept of a new year´s resolution is frivolous in every way imaginable, however, I do find positive change to your daily life important since without change you can´t grow and if you can´t grow you will stay the same forever and who would want that.
At first, I wanted to find out the history of the new year´s resolution since it has always interested me how and why certain traditions started and survived. It is fun to see the roots and see how far the traditions have drifted from their roots. And boy, is it a lot of history.
Just like all traditions, it started all the way back when ancient Babylon still existed nearly 4000 years ago. The ancient Babylonians are, as far as the records go, the first who started to make promises to their future selves in hopes of a brighter and better future.
Due to a different calendar, the new year was not on the same date as the one we have today as on the 1st of January. However, the core of their concept of new year´s resolution is still the same as ours except for one small detail.
Instead of making goals for themselves, the ancient Babylonians affirmed loyalty to their king and made promises to their gods. If the promise to their god is fulfilled, the god would make the coming year easier for the people and if not... well... what can I say... it can only get worse from there.
And that is the earliest recorded version of the new year´s resolutions we have today. This time I don’t believe the new year´s resolution has drifted far from its roots. The small difference is simply that we make a promise to a different person.
If you want to read more about the history of new year´s resolutions in detail, the link below is the one I used to research the history. In this article, I just summed it up and shortened the history to three paragraphs which does not do the actual history any justice.
https://www.history.com/news/the-history-of-new-years-resolutions
Now that the history is out of the way, we can move on to why new year´s resolutions suck in the first place because let´s face it change for the better is aforementioned actually a really good and necessary thing so the question stays. Why do most hate new year´s resolutions?
My guess is that we hate to fail so the question becomes why most new year´s resolutions fail. The first and most common reason is that we don’t possess any expectation management skills because if we did, we wouldn’t fail and wouldn’t hate new year´s resolutions.
If we set expectations too high, to begin with, and continue to fall short every single time, it is somewhat depressing and we just give up even though we are making process daily by continuing to fail constantly.
The simple yet intricate solution may just be to set your expectations low and set them higher when each expectation is met. It might seem arbitrary since it is not such a big step but smaller steps in the right direction can amount to huge changes.
The next reason is that we didn’t think that far ahead when we made a new year´s resolution in the spur of the moment (probably drunk or high) once the clock struck midnight. We didn´t plan on how we are going to fulfil the promise made on that day which is why so many of us fail.
Even though new year´s resolutions are just for fun but if you truly want to see your resolution come to fruition, I would suggest that you think your resolution through before making it because everything is easier to fulfil when you made a proper reasonable plan.
Another reason we fail, and this is a big one, is because we don’t believe we could do it. We once believed that we could give up drinking for example but once the magic of new year’s eve has passed we stopped believing in ourselves.
Self-doubt has always followed me wherever I went so I don’t have a practical solution as to how to overcome self-doubt. I know the solution sound so simple, it is “just believe in yourself” but sometimes believing is not enough… so I seriously don’t have a solution for that.
One of the many reasons why new year´s resolutions fail is also because we don’t know why we want/need to change. Our intentions are unclear which is why many fail. If you don’t see the reason why you are doing something it is harder to continue.
I guess for the uncertainty it would help to make your motivations behind the new year´s resolutions clear before you attempt to commit to it for the coming year. With clear reasoning and goals, it would be easier to make your new year´s resolutions come true.
The next reason is that we don’t track our progress. If we don’t track the progress of the things we have done in life, we don’t recognize how much we have achieved and how far we have come. The same goes for new year´s resolutions. If you don’t review, you don´t know how far you have come and that makes it easier to give up.
The quick fix would be simply to track the process of your new year´s resolutions. If you decided to stop smoking, track how many days you didn´t smoke. Maybe by looking at the non-smoking streak, you would recognize the progress you have made and motivate yourself to continue.
Last but not least, it is easier to give up on anything because no one would hold you accountable. If someone knew about your goals, you would be less likely to give up because you don’t want to seem like a quitter or a failure, which gives you the energy to power through the year.
With the reasons for the lack of success when it comes to new year´s resolutions out of the way, let´s talk about plan b. As aforementioned, change for the better is something we all should be thriving for and condemning a change for the better is unacceptable.
One solution to our collective new year´s resolutions quandary is to forgo the concept of one resolution but instead acquire the concept of a theme for the year which encourages growth in the right direction without giving up too quickly.
Since this is just a concept I find interesting and did not think of myself, I would suggest you check out how to make your new year´s resolutions more achievable. It makes change broader and the resolution not too surgically precise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVGuFdX5guE
I haven´t tried the theme of the year last year because I forgot this theme of the year thing existed so this year I decided to write a whole article about it so I won´t forget and actually follow through on my theme for a whole year.
For me this year, my theme is simplicity. Simply because I believe that my life has gotten way out-of-hand complicated. Every turn of the way instead of choosing simpler ways, I make things overcomplicated which is unnecessary in an already busy complex life.
I have no idea how my definition of simple over the year would change but I am somewhat excited to find out. I am also enthusiastic to find out how my life would be any different from the one I lead now and how many different opportunities I could discover.
As for my plan b, I would blatantly suggest that you take every reason why you could fail and do the opposite. For instance, spread your resolution far and wide so everyone would know. People would find you forking annoying but that is the best for your self-interest so do as you must.
Before the new year comes around and you foolishly make your new year´s resolutions without giving it much thought, maybe wait a second and think about it before making the mistake you probably won´t regret making anyways. Prepare yourself to follow through instead of giving up.
Set reasonably achievable goals which motivate you. It is not a must but it could be easier if your resolutions align with your priorities or goals. So now your resolution feels like a priority you must follow through on otherwise you will derail your life.
It could also be helpful if your resolution is specific and clear-cut so you won´t over-extend. Make those specific resolutions also manageable and measurable so you could actually do your resolution and track your progress.
What I always found helpful is setting deadlines. Do certain things by a certain time. This gives your goals and aspirations a sense of urgency and you are more likely to make sure your goals are attained.
Besides all that make sure your goals are memorable. Because it seriously won´t help anybody and most importantly yourself if you don’t remember your resolution. If you can´t remember what you are supposed to be working on, is your resolution really that important?
Last but not least, make sure to review your progress. As mentioned, if you can see how far you have come, you would want to continue striving for the better instead of settling for the good. Constantly challenge yourself to be better and notice the changes along the way.
A new year is a time for a new you. Now the question remains if you want to stay the same or make a change.