This year has been like no other and I know many people, including myself, are looking forward to a fresh start in 2021. With the new year comes New Year’s resolutions. While I think having the opportunity to make changes to improve and to look at life with a new breath of air is special, there is something about the resolutions that are discussed around January 1 that rubs me the wrong way.
I think a big part of the reason I do not like New Year’s resolutions is that they tend to be negative. Whether it be a goal to lose weight, start a new diet, exercise X times a week, find a significant other, make more money, or anything else along these lines, resolutions can do more harm than good. All of the examples I mentioned above are likely goals due to extrinsic motivators. A person may want to start a new diet so he/she can lose weight to appear more “attractive” according to society’s beauty standards. A person may want to find a significant other because he/she likes the idea of having a significant other, but it may not actually be what is right for him/her at that time. In addition to motives that may not necessarily be in the right place, oftentimes New Year’s resolutions are not actually resolved. Continuing on with my examples, a person who wants to exercise five times a week may hit the gym consistently within the first month of the new year, but over time this routine may wear off. New Year’s resolutions may be hard to keep up with if they focus on goals that are not derived from internal motivators or that are unsustainable. With this in mind, I have never been one to set New Year’s resolutions that will be “life-changing” or super drastic, but I like taking advantage of the opportunity the new year brings to reflect and improve. If there happens to be something I want to work on or achieve (for the purposes of my satisfaction, well-being, and pride, and not that of society’s, my friends’, my family’s, or anyone else’s), I might create a plan of action to achieve it. An example of one of these plans was my New Year’s resolution last year. At the time, I really wanted to write a book, so I set a goal to work on planning and drafting for 15 minutes each day. I wanted to write the book because I wanted to, and for no reason other than that. Additionally, my 15 minute goal was something to which I knew I could commit. I ended up abandoning my goal of writing a book by about April, but that was not because my plan was unsustainable; it was because it simply was something I did not want to do anymore - which is totally okay! This year, I think my New Year’s resolution is going to be working on more content for my blog’s Instagram. I have this goal because I want to spread my Real and Relatable messages and because making posts, such as reels, is a lot of fun for me. Plus, when I make something that is successful or well-done, it feels amazing. While this is certainly something I can work on in the new year, I want to state that there is no bad time to make a change and start working toward a new goal. I could decide I want to be nicer to my sisters, call my friends more often, or write in my journal daily starting tomorrow! Everyday is a day to start anew. To sum it up, New Year’s is almost here! This means some crazy New Year’s resolutions will be floating in the air. New Year’s resolutions can be made for the wrong reasons or they may not be sustainable. Have you noticed this at all? If so and making resolutions is something you enjoy or typically do, I encourage you to be mindful of the goals you are setting. Is this really something you want to do? Can you realistically do it? What is driving you to achieve your goal? Also, remember there is never a bad day to make a new goal and start working on it. Goal-setting is not limited to January 1. So, what do you think? Will you have any goals for the New Year? Let me know in the comments. Happy Holidays, everyone!
6 Comments
Zoe B
12/22/2020 08:18:04 pm
To keep it short and sweet, my two “resolutions” for the New Year are to try to spend some time outside each day before I sit down at my desk for school, and to fill up my water bottle at the beginning of the day so that I’m more hydrated throughout the day. These are two small changes that will make me feel better, and they’re very sustainable :)
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Real and Relatable (Madeleine)
1/1/2021 03:11:05 pm
I love those resolutions! I also enjoy spending time outside and I really like the idea of doing that before school. I've noticed there is something about the crispness and calmness of the morning time that I really like. To your second point, hydrate or die-drate, am I right?! Thank you for sharing!
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Ava Nieburg
1/4/2021 01:12:19 pm
I loved reading this blog post. These past couple of days I’ve done a lot more reflection about the last year then necessarily resolutions, especially because I feel like we have all learned so so much during 2020. But the few resolutions I did make were to benefit me, including yoga in the morning and night, drinking more water, and taking time to write one good thing that has happened each day.
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Real and Relatable (Madeleine)
1/5/2021 03:23:49 pm
I am so glad you loved this post. Yes! I definitely think we have all learned a lot in 2020. I LOVE your resolutions. Yoga to start off and end the day seems amazing, and the positivity from writing one good thing that happened each day seems wonderful as well. It seems like drinking water is a popular resolution. There are going to be lots of hydrated people this year, haha ;)
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Real and Relatable (Madeleine)
1/5/2021 03:26:06 pm
Yeah! It is cool to hear that someone else is thinking the same thing. Thank you for commenting! I hope you have a wonderful 2021!
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AuthorLover of adventures, traveling, family time, fashion, soccer, writing, and more, Madeleine is giving you all the real and relatable content you have been looking for. Archives
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