Rethinking New Year's Resolutions

We’ve all heard the phrase new year new me. This quote implies that you are going to go into the new year as an entirely new person, something that is quite literally impossible. The pressure of feeling like you must resolve every bad habit and begin practicing only good ones is overwhelming and unrealistic. In the past I’ve found myself trying to make extensive lists of New Year's resolutions in an attempt to overall better myself. However, by February I tend to either forget about them or not care enough to put in any effort towards my so-called “goals”. This cycle completely defeats the purpose of having a resolution to begin with. That being said, the new year can still be a great opportunity for people to improve themselves, but only if done correctly.

I don’t find buzzword-eque resolutions like exercise more or drink more water particularly appealing. After asking Beaver students and teachers about their New Year's resolutions, I found that most of them feel the same way. Here is a list of New Year's resolutions I have compiled from the Beaver community:

Be kinder to myself

Be kinder to others

Be more productive

Stop caring so much

Complain less about little things

Be more positive

Be more grateful

Something that made these resolutions stand out to me was their focus on mindset. These goals cannot be measured, they instead delve into the intangible. This helps to take the pressure off of the copious amounts of strict, physical resolutions. While brainstorming for this article I read that actress, business woman, and one of the most iconic people alive, Gwenyth Paltrow, is also done with stereotypical New Year's resolutions. She explained that the mindset tends to almost immediately set us up for failure. Instead, she likes to set broader goals that can be gradually worked on throughout the year.

It can be easy to hear something like drink 15 glasses of water a day or run a marathon and think it’s something you should do during the new year. It is important that the resolutions we create actually matter to us. This will not only make you less likely to abandon your goal and keep you motivated, but will also help to create a well deserved sense of self achievement. 

The most successful resolutions involve reflecting inward. When creating a resolution, it is important to keep your values and priorities in mind. This year, try starting off with one resolution and create more only after you feel you have made significant progress with your original. 

The classic idea of New Year's resolutions feels stale and outdated. This drives people away from the idea of making one, when in reality doing so could be beneficial. By developing a new outlook and understanding of them we can take steps to improve ourselves in manageable, realistic ways. Now, it’s time for you to brainstorm your resolution for 2025. I’ll give you a good one: submit your work to the Beaver Reader.