Think you should set a new year’s resolution? You’re too late.
You might succeed in achieving this new year’s resolution, however, keep this up, and you’ll fall further behind.
Fuck new year’s resolutions.
What is a New Year’s Resolution?
People set new year’s resolutions because they are unhappy about some aspect of their life, and they desire change.
Why do I hate them so much?
As someone who presents myself as someone who ceaselessly pursues self-improvement, ought I to support such a seemingly positive goal setting activity?
No.
If there is something wrong with your life, change it now. Why wait until some arbitrary date before you start to change?
If this thing you are setting out on doing (and think you will succeed in doing, because otherwise why try?) is so important, why not just take on the goal or challenge straight away?
Waiting until this magical day to set a personal goal would suggest it’s not important. Probably another reason the statistics are so poor for new year’s resolutions.
Self reflect NOW
Perhaps it’s not the setting of the new year’s resolution itself that is the problem. Maybe it is the lack of self-reflection in the absence of the idea of a new year’s resolution. The idea of new year’s resolutions triggers self-reflection.
“Oh, yeah, what is my new year’s resolution going to be? Hmm, what can I improve about myself? Oh I know! I’ll take a cold shower every day!“
The chain of events looks like:
Think about NYRs -> Self reflect -> Set a NYR
Tighten the feedback loop!
Don’t wait until the 1st day of the year to reflect on yourself. Reflect after everything you do.
Could I have improved? Did I execute something perfectly and wish to emulate that next time?
Finding answers is hard if you don’t ask questions.
My suggestion: Journal daily.
Often I will ask myself the questions: What could I have done better today? Where am I lacking? What can I do to change this?
Writing it down means you can reflect on your longer term progress when you read over it later.
Even if you choose not to journal (though I do recommend this as a great new year’s resolution), you must get in the habit of self-reflection so you can begin setting and acting on goals and habits that will improve your life at the time of a weakness discovery; not start when you’re hungover and deaf from the sound of firecrackers.
There is no need, nor time, to wait. Start now.
