New Year’s resolutions: have you got the gumption?
The first day of the New Year never feels any different to me than the day after yesterday usually does, except that it comes with a vicious hangover. Sometimes I think we drink on New Year’s Eve so that the next day’s pounding headache will guilt us into keeping the resolutions we drunkenly pronounced at the party the night before.
I’m not being cynical, just realistic. How many promises to yourself have you broken in the past year? I don’t need science or statistics to support this conclusion; I know from experience what it means to break a promise to myself. What makes you think your New Year’s resolution will turn out any different than the promises you failed to keep before?
As far as New Year’s resolutions go, it’s impressive if you make it through the first two weeks. If you’re a gym rat, you know exactly what I mean.
As for me? I don’t make any resolutions. I can’t break a promise I never made to begin with, so I’m in familiar territory. There’s no reason to start the year with a disappointment.
Not that resolutions don’t work, or that no one can affect a change in their life by sheer power of will (possible, but unlikely). I’m simply pointing out that just because it’s the start of a new decade doesn’t mean you’ve got more gumption than you had yesterday, or two weeks ago. Today is still the day after yesterday no matter how proudly you turned the page on your calendar this morning, while holding an icepack to your throbbing head.
If you’re going to make a resolution, don’t do it out of hangover-induced guilt, or because all the cool kids are doing it. I’m all for bettering yourself, but change doesn’t work unless you believe in it too.
Related posts:
- Wish lists Ah, Winter. The time for colds and overcoats. The time for holidays. Have you started...
2 Responses
2010/1/4 Jeff
I think we fall into the trap of setting the bar too high and having unreachable goals. For me it’s all about small steps and slowly working at bettering myself.
[Reply]
2010/1/4 Matt
I totally understand that. Sometimes, though, I’ve found that it’s more effective to do a big change and never look back. If you do that at the right time, it can work well. Everyone’s different though, and as I’m sure you’ve discovered you have to do what’s best for you.