Have you ever wondered at how bizarre the concept of a New Year’s resolution is? Isn’t it absolutely bonkers that every year, we subject ourselves to the idea of keeping up with one particular “promise” for the entire year, when most of us can’t even stick to the same Starbucks order for more than a week?
Every year on the first day of January, thousands of hungover people head to the gym to buy that prized membership, only to ask for a refund a few weeks later. We tell ourselves, “This is the year I’ll finally fix my sleep schedule,” only to scramble for a 2 a.m. snack a week later.
It’s not all darkness in this land of resolutions though. There are a triumphant few who actually go through with their resolutions some years, and today I want to talk about what their secret is.
One of the most common things we tell ourselves as a new year rolls in is that “this next year will be MY year.” There are a number of issues with this statement, and with the resolutions we set for ourselves in general. Humans are creatures that revel in instant gratification. We love when our Instagram post gets likes and comments, or when we reach a high score playing some random game on our phones. Resolutions are contrary to the very nature of people. Telling yourself that you’ll do absolutely everything right in 2022, thus making it “your” year, is a huge ask! As is telling yourself that you’ll wake up at 7 a.m. every single day out of the 365 days you have ahead of you and go to the gym.
The most successful resolutions are ones that aren’t so hard on you. Maybe instead of going to the gym every day, take care of your health more! Instead of making 2022 “your year” (which is very vague, don’t you think?), maybe just try having a more positive outlook on life.
At the end of it, every year is your year if you decide it is. Every year is made of good and bad days, and that’s what helps us grow as people. If I had done everything “right” every year of my life, I probably wouldn’t be where I am right now, and that is not necessarily a good thing.
So don’t tell yourselves you absolutely have to stick to that resolution you made on New Year’s Day — just do the best you can to achieve the goal behind it. In a world that is already so harsh, it’s on us to be a little easier on ourselves. And believe it or not, 2022 is already your year if you want it to be!
