New Year's resolutions have never been my thing. I remember frantically trying to make up a resolution last year for a team meeting ice breaker. I decided on summiting Mount St. Helen's by the end of the summer. I don't know even know if that was a resolution or just a thing I wanted to do. Either way, it didn't happen.
There are a variety of reason I'm not a fan of New Year's resolutions - ranging from the hype to the arbitrariness of it all. Here's the lowdown on why.
People talk about them too much. Talking about it won't make it happen.
I'm tired from the holidays. I want to sit on the couch and binge watch British cooking shows - not go for a run.
What I may prioritize at the beginning of the year may be irrelevant in a couple months. For example, you may spend a week in a Mexican hospital and climbing a volcano is the furthest thing from your mind. Not that I know anything about that.
I'm not convinced anyone actually wants to set a New Year's resolution.
If it's something you actually want to do, why wait until it's time to buy a new calendar? There are so many better times to set a goal or make a change - like your birthday, anniversary of a significant event, or that random Tuesday 3 months from now when you decide you want to.
Most people forget about them by the middle of February. I made up that timeline, but it seems realistic, right?
What I'm saying is, don't wait until the New Year to do something you want to do. Things aren't going to become magically easier on January 1st, and you're not going to magically become a new person. So, don't wait around until then. Set smaller attainable goals throughout the year whenever you're ready and on a timeline that makes sense for you.
So, what I am I doing instead? I'm focusing on being better. In all honesty, I haven't quite figured out what that means yet. Some days it'll be putting the dishes in the dishwasher instead of leaving them in the sink. Some days it'll be going to the gym instead of crashing on the couch. And other days, it may be having the self-control to not buy and eat a single-serve slice of cake at QFC. Whatever it happens to be that day, I know that I'm one step closer to being the best version of myself that I can be, and that has nothing to do with the New Year.
Maybe that's actually a New Year's resolution. And that's ok, too.
How do you feel about New Year's resolutions? Do you have any? What resolutions have you followed through with in the past?
