Why making New Year resolutions is not so bad

I make New Year resolutions! There I said it and I know someone will protest.

Every year I witness the same thing, someone, usually myself says this year one of my resolutions is x followed by someone else saying one shouldn’t keep resolutions because they don’t work, etc. etc. For some reason, I cringe a little every time I see this happen. For sure, the decrier of resolutions has a point. Various studies indicate that resolutions are most often not accomplished, abandoned perhaps as early as January 2nd. The result of the abandoned resolution perhaps is low self-esteem and entrapment in continued mediocrity. So, don’t make resolutions, set measurable, time-bound, realistic goals instead which can be done any time of the year not just on the 1st. This is good advice: setting goals that is, but still I like resolutions.

For me, resolutions are a part of celebrating the start of a new year. Maybe some don’t care about celebrating the 1st, after all its just another day, but if you think its appropriate to watch fireworks, take the day off from work, stay up till midnight, why not include making resolutions? Making resolutions can be thought of as being the same as decorating a tree for Christmas or cooking turkey on Thanksgiving day. It is a tradition with emotional value.

But resolutions are often unrealistic, pie in the sky, loosely defined wish fulfillment. Exactly! Resolution setting is the opportunity to let loose your creative juices. What would the perfect year look like? Imagine it! Write it down, savor it! Is this harmful? It could be if you take the word resolution too seriously and become too emotionally attached to the exercise. It could also be beneficial. Once I climb down from the mountain of wild fantasy and apply the magnifying glass of practicality and reason I often discover important things about myself in my resolutions: what I care about, what themes are dominant, what has changed since last time I did this. This is important information and can be a guiding force in setting appropriate goals.

Resolutions making is a form of catharsis. Try as you might to avoid it, the end of the year often brings feelings of regret, missed opportunities, thoughts of how it could have been better. Resolutions can help to reset the emotional compass for those that need it. And when you have that fantastic year where everything went well, resolutions feed off that positive energy to set higher heights of achievement in the new year.

So maybe what I am doing is not resolving to do anything on a whim as most people seem to define New Year’s resolutions. And yes, I agree that you shouldn’t necessarily base the success of a year on crazy, delirious, half baked fantasies. But I find making resolutions fun and enjoyable, and why not have some fun at this time of the year.