The Trouble With “New Year, New Me”

This year, I broke my New Year’s resolution in one day. One day. It’s a little embarrassing to admit this, but truthfully, I felt obligated to have a resolution–I wasn’t really committed. A lot of people face similar situations each year. We get so wrapped up in this “new year, new me” mindset that we feel like we have to make a resolution, even if we aren’t really willing to make sacrifices to succeed.
There’s a reason why the gym is packed on January 1st and empty by February 1st, if not sooner. In theory, self-improvement sounds awesome, but it takes work. I think a lot of people (myself included) make these huge, unrealistic resolutions that always end up broken, year after year. It’s kind of comical how as a society we make these goals for ourselves. Does anyone actually keep them all year?
This optimism that comes with the New Year is nice, but I wish we put less stress on the New Year. To be quite honest, I have a strong dislike for New Year’s, because I feel bad if I don’t automatically become a better person two days into the new year. I wish it was the norm to make small, attainable resolutions often, instead of one huge goal at the beginning of the year. If I knew my resolution was within reach, I actually might feel committed to it.
I think this all comes back to the pressure behind “New Year, New Me.” Many use this phrase jokingly, but I think we all have a small desire to live out this saying. We often think that January 1st is a fresh start to become the new and improved version of ourselves, which is understandable, but we can’t start of the year making such unrealistic goals. The trick to a successful new year is to make a smaller resolution that is easier to hold yourself accountable to, or even start your goals before the new year. This way, you can actually feel like you’re bettering yourself, without feeling disappointed in yourself before January is even over.