Starting the New Year Off Right

Sophia Mendoza, Writer

The time for the New Year has finally come, and with a new year comes new goals.

About half of Americans around this time take out their pens and paper and rush to create a list of their New Year’s resolutions, making promises to themselves “this will be the year that they commit to improving some inadequate part of their life.

And yet, nearly 80 percent of these same people abandon those goals by February. So, why are we so quick to abandon these expectations of ourselves, and how do we get better at achieving them?

Oftentimes people will make goals that are too large and hard to achieve. Abstract goals with no clear plan or way to reach them are much more likely to be abandoned. Habits that someone wishes to either get rid of or form also have their difficulties as resolutions.

Habits that someone wishes to stop will usually have to be replaced with something else, according to psychiatrist Lama Bazzi, and forming a new habit to the point that it becomes automatic could take months. There also is the lack of responsibility when it comes to New Year’s resolutions. The only one that can keep you on track is yourself, which requires a tremendous amount of discipline. 

So should the classic resolution be abandoned entirely?

No, just simply approach it from a different angle.

Take real consideration in making achievable, rewarding goals. Have a cohesive plan listing the steps needed to achieve your goal, breaking it down into a week by week basis. Think of each new week as a whole New Year, and make sure to reward yourself in order to keep motivation high. Have someone that can keep you accountable, that will push you to meet your goals. 

Finally, remember that the start of the New Year is not the only time to encourage change in your life. Healthy habit formations, a more positive mindset, or that new skill can begin in July as easily as it started in January. All that is needed is the commitment to start. 

 “Forget that New Year’s resolution — try the ‘Monday reset’ instead ….” Accessed January 10, 2023. https://cite.me/OBY5XkR.