The infamous New Year’s resolution: easy to make, difficult to keep. Every January 1st, many Americans get a surge of determination to change their lives and start the new year on a fresh slate. However, within a week or two, most people will have lost focus on their goals and settled back into the same mundane routines of the previous year. In fact, only eight percent of resolution-setters persevere throughout the entire year without giving up on their goals – a depressing statistic. Yet, year and year again more than half of America is convinced that this time they will firmly stand with their goals, though this is rarely the case. However, with 2018 still in its beginning stages, there is still time to backtrack and regain a grip on New Year’s resolutions.

More often than not, the goals set on the first day of the year are unrealistic to say the least. Among the most common objectives are losing weight, eating a healthier diet, saving money, and focusing on self-care. While all of the aforementioned resolutions are worth dedicating time to, the majority of people establish all-or-nothing goals. Missing a day at the gym or giving in to the craving for a little dessert after dinner is more than enough for a plethora of people to completely forget their previous resolutions and slink back into their horrible habits. What’s left after this? Self-loathing. Unable to complete their impossible goals, the population turns on itself, trying to find an explanation for their failure. Not only is self-esteem lowered, but we toss aside the resolutions we set for ourselves until the next new year comes to reset the cycle.
The manner in which people view New Year’s resolutions is another reason they fail before they even begin. Normally, society sets goals with too much emphasis on just the outcome rather than the steps necessary to accomplish it. No one can obtain results overnight, but for many people, remaining static in their progress is disheartening. In fact, we do not notice substantial evidence that we’re headed in the right direction until much later down in the line.

Although the concept of turning our lives around with the new year is one that we want to believe in, that is usually not the case. We are too caught up in the excitement of leaving behind the mistakes made in the last year to understand the commitment required to actually reach our goals. Additionally, waiting until January 1 to finally start working towards a better you encourages procrastination. Sure, it marks the beginning of a new journey, but really, every day is another opportunity to reset our lives and get on the right track.