Why New Years Resolutions are Counter-Productive

And What you Should do Instead

As is often the case at this time of the year, much of the current talk is about the festive season and Christmas. In the Western World, it is an important time of the year.

Families come together, people reconnect and we enjoy each other's company with some great food. And whilst I have no objections to the celebration of Christmas — except for the fact that countless kids around the globe are shattered when they find out Santa DOES NOT in fact exist, my feelings towards New Year’s is a little different.

A family celebrating Christmas together. Photo by Phillip Goldsberry on Unsplash

But before you get all defensive, hear me out.

A bit of a history lesson

New Year's Eve has been celebrated for over 4000 years. With the earliest known celebrations taking place in Babylon, Mesopotamia around 2000 B.C., it long precedes Christmas Day celebrations. Celebrated globally, it is an event that transcends religious, ethnic, and social differences. And for that, I applaud it.

The ancient city of Babylon. Image by Internet Archive Book Images on Flickr

But the modern-day practice of creating New Year's Resolutions, making goals or plans for the New Year, is something that irks me.

Why?

You see whilst it is admirable that people are setting resolutions and goals for their future, it shouldn’t take until the last day of the year for this to become an occurrence.

The purpose behind creating a goal is to hold yourself accountable. To test yourself. To better yourself.

When we set goals, we set them because we envision our future selves and lives will be all the better for achieving them. We set them because we know that we can be better. It is in human nature to demand more of ourselves.

Goal setting is an important task. However, it is a process that must not be rushed. Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Yet when we set goals on New Year's Eve, we limit ourselves. We limit ourselves from reaching our full potential. We limit ourselves from being the best people we can be. We fail to test the boundaries of what we can achieve.

When we set year-long goals and ambitions on New Years' Eve, we generally create them with the medium term in mind. A year-long target that we hope to attain. We often forget about our short-term ambitions and our immediate future. These are important small steps and actions that are required to help us reach our longer-term goals.

New Year's Eve Resolutions must also have the long term in mind. I’m talking about the 3, 5, and even 10-year pictures.

So often our New Year’s Resolutions demand significant changes to every facet of our life. But the whole world rarely changes in 1 year. So we can’t expect our lives to do the same.

Some may argue New Year's Eve Resolutions are a way to make back lost time. A time to revitalize or truly change your life. Because other people are setting goals, we feel more inclined to do the same. But if changing our lives and seeing meaningful change in our life is what we want, we shouldn’t wait until the New Year to make it happen.

My pet peeve, New Year Resolutions! Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Often our New Year’s Resolutions are those crazy, far-fetched goals that we always push back. In some cases, that’s amazing. Some people need a little push to achieve something great. But for the majority, it doesn’t work that way. Many people lack the ambition and drive to follow through with what they’ve promised. And goals don’t work that way.

If we’re going to make goals, we need to make sure we act on them. We can’t just make them and expect them to magically happen.

It all comes back to the same issue.

When you set ambitions at the same time as everyone else, how can you expect yourself to stand out in a world that demands trailblazers and difference?

So what should you do instead?

• Set goals throughout the year — Don’t wait until New Year’s Eve to set a goal. There’s no time like the present. Time on this planet is precious. So if you really want something, start your journey towards it NOW. It’ll make you feel better about yourself. Plus, you’re putting yourself ahead of the competition!
• Adapt your goals — Much like the economy, your life will change. Goals should be adaptable. If you set a target to run 2km/day throughout the year, you are holding yourself back. Your body will become used to the distance over the year and the benefits will be minimized. It is crucial to switch things up and set new goals by continually making things more difficult and continually testing yourself.
• Be kind to yourself — As I mentioned earlier, goals are there to get the best out of yourself. To push yourself. But there is a difference between pushing and torturing yourself. If you’re behind with a goal, don’t become overly critical of yourself. There is still time to make good on a goal that you have set. Instead of thinking, “why can’t I do this” ask yourself “how can I do this”. There are already enough haters in this world. Don’t become one of them.
• Be realistic — It is always nice to be ambitious. Without hope, what is there? And whilst I don’t mean to crush your greatest hopes and dreams, there is such a thing as being too ambitious. When we strive for too much, we end up achieving nothing. And it makes us feel worse about ourselves.
• Maintain balance — Sometimes when we become obsessed with achieving a goal, we let go of the things that are most important to us. Our friends, our family, and our livelihoods. If you find a goal disconnecting you from those you love, take a step back to reflect and reconsider whether it’s something you truly want. Some things aren’t worth losing your loved ones over.

And finally…

• Don’t worry if you don’t achieve a goal — Life is too short to worry about something that didn’t or hasn’t happened. If you didn’t make good on a goal, don’t become disheartened. Nobody is perfect. Use this frustration and fire to make sure you never miss out on achieving a goal again.

So what are my goals?

1. To stay in touch with my family and close friends — It’s pretty simple. But sometimes the small things in life are the most important.
2. To run a marathon in the middle of next year — For someone that has never run above 5km in a competitive race before, this may seem like a stretch. But with youth behind me and with the hope of getting the best out of myself, this will be a welcome challenge.
3. To continue to grow my Medium Account — Writing on this platform has opened my eyes up to so much. I have connected with other writers, dramatically improved my writing, and improved my self-discipline. Even if my writing doesn’t take off, it’ll be a great portfolio of my work for future employers.
4. To establish my YouTube Channel — With the year ahead full of traveling, I want to capture as much of it as I can, and share it with the world. I think there is so much to learn from different cultures and through a story-telling and adventure-seeking YouTube Channel, I hope to inspire other young people to get out there and explore the world.
5. To become fluent in Spanish — The world is full of so many diverse cultures and people. But so often, the language barrier holds us back. In the hope of creating deeper, more meaningful connections, I want to learn this fascinating language, which will assist my content-creating journey. Plus, it’ll open my mind to a whole new world too!

Let me know your goals and resolutions down below. It’s always better when someone else knows them so that you have someone else to hold you accountable.

Remember, as Shakespeare once said ,“The world is your oyster”

Keep daring to dream and pushing yourself. There are no limits to what we can achieve! Photo courtesy of the Author.