Changing or Growing? Questioning Your New Years Resolution
Image Courtesy of ClickOnDetroit
By Ryn Cole
Every January 1st, people from all over the world use the momentum that comes from a new year to change something about their life. They call this a positive daily adjustment, character development, or a mindset shift, but all of these names boil down to the same thing: a New Year’s Resolution. Even through the positive outlook and genuine desire to change for the better, one question lingers in the air every year without fail: why do these resolutions more often than not fall short?
The main idea behind a resolution is to simply make one’s life better for the upcoming new year. It seems that the beginning of the year offers people a new outlook, a chance to improve themselves, and a new beginning to grow as a better person.
Although the intentions are usually optimistic, these resolutions can quickly become much too ambitious, and upon deeper reflection, many resolutions stem from a place of dissatisfaction with oneself. The majority of people have resolutions that have to do with physical health and/or unobtainable body goals. This can include trying to go to the gym every day despite never going before or putting oneself on an entirely new diet; a desire to physically change ones’ features showcases the desire to entirely change something about themselves rather than healthily improve who they already are. This culture of resolutions neglects the value of who you are at the present moment, and it places all value in who you might be a few months down the road.
Many of these “goals” only last a few weeks since we only have new motivation from the changing year. When writing “2022” next to every signature becomes blasé, so do those resolutions. They never have the time to become genuine habits or actual priorities.
There are ways to combat this mental battle, however, and when fully understanding the desire to make the entire next year better, one can choose a resolution that both suits their life and serves them thoroughly. A mindset shift is needed; changing and growing are intensely different words, and understanding the difference between them makes all the difference in choosing a New Year’s Resolution.
When you can find something in your life that you believe is an achievable challenge, ask yourself a few questions: is this going to help me in a year, or five years? Can I turn this into a habit rather than a short-lived obsession? Does this reasonably fit into my life with the other undertakings I prioritized?
When the answer to every question is yes, you have a good resolution. While any new goal is an adjustment and can be difficult to stick with at times, a good resolution will overall feel fulfilling. Some of the best resolutions are the simplest ones that help your daily mental health and promote a desire to continue them.
So what are some of these goals? Holistically, you should focus not simply on your physical being but your mental, spiritual, emotional health as well; try to find a balance in your life between each aspect of your health.
Try to add a few minutes of meditation to your mornings. If you wish to prioritize your faith life more, you can try to reach those goals by adding more time for prayer into your routine. Self-care is also massively overlooked, so make it a point to spend some time on yourself when you feel overwhelmed. This can include spending a night in, journaling, or even picking up a new hobby you have been meaning to try out.
The inspiration behind wanting to start every year as the best one yet will always be alluring, but choosing a resolution solely based on a factor of your life you deem undesirable and drastically changing your lifestyle helps no one. Instead, find a goal that fosters growth, happiness, and holistic health. By this time in 2023, we can all start off on a better, more mindful note.
